A TEENAGER who failed to testify at an armed

robber's trial because he feared reprisals against himself and his father was jailed for a day.

Daniel Storer, 18, was sentenced by a judge for contempt of court after his non-attendance at the trial of Howard Allen in December.

Allen, 39, was jailed for life after being convicted of holding up two businesses in Eastbourne with a banana wrapped in a bag.

Storer, of Priory Road, Eastbourne, was to have been a key witness in the trial but never turned up.

He was the rider of a motorcycle on which Allen escaped as pillion passenger but was never charged with an offence after claiming he did not know what he was up to.

He told police he did not want to testify against Allen, of Foxglove Road, but was served with a witness summons ordering him to attend Lewes Crown Court.

He did not show up at the trial and was arrested on Tuesday morning.

Judge Richard Brown heard that Storer had actually been staying at Allen's home during the trial as it was the last place that the police would look for him.

Bridget Molyneux, defending, said Storer's father was being held in the same wing of Lewes Prison as Allen, who is also known as Albie, and

feared he would be hurt if his son appeared at court.

She said: "He admitted that his father had told him that

it would not be a good idea

to go to court because Albie

and him were on the same

wing.

"He made it quite clear that his father would come to grief.

"He was also told that if Albie got out he would be harmed as well.

"Mr Allen is 20 years older than him and Daniel Storer is very frightened of him and would not willingly cross him.

"He stayed at the Allen household as security so no harm would come to Chris Storer in prison or Daniel Storer in the event of Mr Allen's acquittal.

"He was willing to assist as much as possible without

endangering other people. It was not maliciousness or an attempt to pervert the course of justice but real fear that

prevented him coming to court."

Judge Richard Brown said: "Your failure to attend is a

contempt of court.

"I accept now that I have heard something approaching the truth.

"I am also able to find that you would have found yourself under pressure from more experienced people."

He sentenced Storer to one day in a young offenders'

institution.

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