Heroin addict brothers who were thrown out by their mother have been jailed.

The rise and fall of Richard Tatton, 21, and his brother James, 22, both promising professional snooker players, was related to Oxford Crown Court after the pair admitted attempted robbery of a 74-year-old woman.

Things became so bad at the family home in Dorchester Place, Thame, that their mother Susan was forced to evict them at 24 hours' notice earlier this year. She told Judge Anthony King yesterday: "They were always two good sons, very respected and developing their careers. I was confident they would make something of their lives. But they became deceitful and turned into two different people and I felt I didn't know them any more."

The brothers admitted attempting to rob Janet Palmer of her handbag.

Richard Tatton also admitted a separate robbery of a handbag from a 67-year-old woman and theft of a credit card which he used to obtain goods worth more than 500 in Thame shops after leaving the family home.

He asked for 13 charges of obtaining property by deception to be taken into account.

James Tatton asked for two similar offences involving deception to be considered.

Richard Tatton was sentenced to 15 months in prison and James, said by the judge to have played a lesser part, got ten months.