A failed attempt to rob a fancy dress shop means a North Yorkshire man could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Shaun David Barker, 26, staged the raid because he wanted to go back to prison, York Crown Court heard.

But he got more than he bargained for.

First the shop owner knocked him to the ground and sat on him until police arrived.

Then Judge Paul Hoffman disregarded his pleas for a prison sentence that would be "not too long".

He handed down an indeterminate sentence, which means Barker can only released if the Parole Board decides he is not a danger to the public.

The judge said Barker was an "unstable personality" who posed a risk of serious violence to other people and two doctors were concerned about threats he had made to the lives of two relatives.

Barker, formerly of Harrogate, but now of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery of a fancy dress shop in Scarborough and assaulting its owner by hitting her in the mouth. The judge ordered he must serve at least 21 months before he could be considered for parole.

Updated: 10:29 Wednesday, February 07, 2001