A bungling armed robber shot himself in the leg when he burst into an off-licence and apparently tripped over a doormat as he tried to pull a sawn-off shotgun out of his trousers, a court was told yesterday.

Badly-injured Richard Blair, 24, had to be helped to a getaway car by accomplices and taken to a house, where he was later discovered by police and paramedics.

The raiders fled empty-handed, and their stolen getaway car was later found burned out, following the botched robbery at the Booze Buster store in Newcastle last December, Newcastle Crown Court was told.

If Blair had managed to pull the firearm from his trouser leg, workers in the Tyneside shop could have been injured, as it had a hair-trigger mechanism, said Robin Patton, prosecuting.

Blair, of Shipley Avenue, Fenham, Tyneside, who is also known as Richard Hay, has admitted conspiracy to rob, possessing a firearm with intent, and arson, and was now remanded in custody awaiting sentence, said Mr Patton.

Co-accused Paul Tullin, 17, of Yewcroft Avenue, Newcastle, has admitted possessing a shortened shotgun, and was also in custody awaiting sentence.

Mr Patton gave details of the bungled robbery attempt during the trial of another co-accused, 19-year-old Christopher Collard, of Aldwick Road, Newcastle, who denies conspiracy to rob, possessing a shortened shotgun, and arson.

Mr Patton said: "This is an armed robbery that was well planned but, unfortunately for one of the robbers, badly executed as he shot himself.

"He had this sawn-off shotgun down the inside of his left leg, and he made his way through the door with another man behind.

"There is a doormat there and it may be responsible for what happened, because he shot himself in the leg.

"The girls in the shop never realised how close they were to being shot.

"It had a hair trigger and, even with the safety catch on, the left barrel would have been discharged if the gun was jolted.

"As he went through that door and pulled the gun out to threaten those girls, the hair trigger worked and he shot himself in the leg.

"At that stage he was badly injured and the robbery had gone wrong."