A robber who hit a Street jeweller over the head with a metal bar and stole gold chains worth £3,000 has been jailed for seven years.

Shaun Ayling, 33, of Ashtree Road, Frome, targeted lone shopkeeper Trevor Morgan, of Golden Oldies Antiques, in Street, and left him bleeding with head injuries needing ten stitches, Taunton Crown Court was told.

He smashed a glass cabinet before snatching four chains and threatened another shopkeeper who went to intervene.

Caroline Bolt, prosecuting, said Ayling followed Mr Morgan into his shop on April 21. He hit him six times on the head, causing him to partly fall to the ground but he did not lose consciousness and shouted for assistance.

She said Ayling made no comment when arrested. The previous week he was seen stealing from a shop in Frome and was in possession of three bottles of whisky which he had stolen from Marks and Spencer.

Ayling, who was jailed for four years for robbery in 2001 and also had convictions for theft, burglary and drug offences, admitted robbery and two separate charges of shoplifting and the court was told he had shown no remorse.

Lawrence Wilcox, mitigating, said he was a drug user of long standing and had learning difficulties.

"One gets the impression from the pre-sentence report of someone who's had some moderate psychiatric problems in the past. He does not have a history of violence," he added.

Recorder Paul Dunkels QC said he had armed himself with an iron bar with the intention of knocking a shopkeeper out and had a serious record of offences of dishonesty, mostly linked to drugs.

He had a previous conviction for robbery when he armed himself with a knife. The latest robbery was, without doubt, a serious matter.

The judge said: "It was planned by you. You selected a shop because it was a sole proprietor in charge of valuable jewellery that was on display.

"By your own admission, your plan was to attack the shop owner and render him unconscious using the metal bar you had armed yourself with. You struck him repeatedly to the head. That experience has left Mr Morgan fearful of further attack when working in the shop alone and he is having to take medication for anxiety."

The additional aggravating features were that it was a pre-planned attack on a lone shopkeeper with valuable goods.

He said Ayling was released from prison shortly before the robbery in April and, because of his record and lack of remorse, he found him to be a dangerous offender for which he was given an extra four years on licence after completing his prison sentence.