A pair of robbers punched one victim in the face then made another victim think he would be thrown into a canal, a court has heard.

Michal Czerniawski and Michal Kardas, of no fixed address, carried out the attacks in the city centre on November 10 of last year.

During the afternoon, Czerniawski and Kardas approached the first victim, a man in his 50s, on Dale Street.

They demanded his bag then punched him in the face multiple times.

A member of the public witnessed the attack and ran over, and Czerniawski and Kardas fled from the scene.

In the evening, at around 8pm, the robbers approached the second victim, a man in his 30s, beside the canal in Ancoats.

Demanding money, Czerniawski lifted him up by his legs and made him think he would be thrown into the canal, then punched him in the stomach.

Meanwhile, Kardas put him in a headlock so tight he fell unconscious, only to wake up to the robbers demanding the pin code to his mobile phone.

Czerniawski and Kardas were caught a matter of days later, when the first victim saw them again in the city centre and alerted police.

The pair were sentenced for robbery and attempted robbery at Manchester Crown Court last week.

Czerniawski, 36, was sentenced to four years and five months in prison.

Kardas, 37, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison.

PC Benjamin John, of GMP's Operation Valiant team, said: "These incidents were terrifying for the victims who were simply going about their day. No one should have to feel scared when walking around in public and I am pleased that these two men are now facing a jail term for their despicable actions.

"The investigation into the incident was undertaken by GMP's Operation Valiant team – the forces response to cracking down on personal robberies across Greater Manchester, which has seen some great results since it started in 2018."