Two brothers who robbed a shop assistant have been put behind bars thanks to the Shields Gazette.

The paper printed closed circuit television pictures taken during the raid, and their publication led to the brothers’ arrest and subsequent court appearance.

A judge at Newcastle Crown Court jailed the pair for three years each after hearing how they bit a teenage shop assistant to force him to hand over cash from the till.

Christopher Prince, prosecuting, told the court that although the incident was only two minutes long, it was captured on film.

He said: “Stills were made use of by the Shields Gazette newspaper and police were alerted to who was responsible.”

After the conviction, the Gazette printed the picture again, and explained its part in the case.

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