Robbers left footprints in the snow

And at Warwick Crown Court, Kevin McGregor and John Ryder pleaded guilty to robbing two female members of staff at a convenience store in Whitnash.

McGregor, 25, and Ryder, 38, both of Masters Road, Leamington, had carried out the robbery at the nearby One Stop store in Heathcote Road, Whitnash, on March 23.

They had gone into the store at around 7.30am and threatened staff members Zoe Simonds and Maxine Eades before escaping with cash and a quantity of scratch cards.

But it had been snowing, and police officers followed footsteps in the snow to a nearby block of flats, which led to Ryder and McGregor being arrested.

And Ryder also pleaded guilty to assaulting Dc Jenny Baker with intent to resist arrest. Richard Gibbs, for Ryder, said: “He fully acknowledges his guilt for this matter and is keen for his sentence to start immediately.”

Nick Devine, for McGregor, said he also wanted to be sentenced straight away, without a pre-sentence report.

But Judge Alan Parker refused after hearing that both men had previous robbery convictions.

Prosecutor Peter Grice pointed out that Ryder had convictions for various offences going back to when he was a juvenile.

And in 2001 he was jailed for robbing an elderly lady by snatching her handbag in the street and inflicting grievous bodily harm on someone who went to her assistance.

McGregor had also been committing offences since he was a juvenile, and in 2006 was sentenced to detention for an attempted street robbery.

Judge Parker said: “They each acknowledge they are going to receive a custodial sentence.

“They each have relevant previous convictions, and it seems to me that my duty to protect the public necessitates me requesting pre-sentence reports to address dangerousness.”

Adjourning for the reports to be prepared and remanding both men in custody, the judge told them: “You are both bound to receive sentences of imprisonment, and you are serving your sentences already; you just don’t know when they will end.”