TEENAGE drug addict Dean Stewart has been jailed for three years after committing a string of knife-point robberies over a three-day period to buy crack and heroin.

Stewart, 19, of Kingsley Road, Chippenham, robbed two garages and a corner shop and tried to hold up a fast food restaurant.

The offences happened after Stewart returned to Chippenham from spending time in Dorset to try and get off heroin.

Rob Welling, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court that Stewart's first robbery was at The BP Pheasant Garage in Bath Road, Chippenham, at 10.45pm on September 30.

Mr Welling said "He went to the counter with some sweets and £1 to pay with. When the till was open, the defendant took out a sheath knife with a silver blade five inches long.

"He said, 'Sorry about this, I don't want to hurt you but I will hurt you. I have just got to have this.' He then leaned into the till and took what later turned out to be £135 in cash.''

The following night, at 11pm, he struck again, this time at the Esso garage in Chippenham. He brandished a similar knife at the cashier and fled with £115.

Mr Welling said the third attack, an attempted robbery, took place at the Shoestrings burger bar in the town centre. He produced a knife and grabbed at the 17-year-old girl behind the counter, but she fled to the back of the shop and Stewart ran from the restaurant.

An hour and a half later he struck at Beaufort Stores in Balustrade, Bath, as the shopkeeper was preparing to close and robbed him at knifepoint of £15.

Mr Welling said Stewart was arrested on October 3. When he was interviewed he gave a full admission to the offences, even telling police about the robbery in Bath that they were not fully aware of.

He said he had an accomplice who drove him to the places he robbed and encouraged him to commit the offences. After each, he said, they went to Bristol to buy drugs with the money.

Stewart admitted three charges of robbery and one of attempted robbery.

Edward Burgess, defending, said the offences were dramatically out of character for his client who only had minor convictions for dishonesty and being drunk and disorderly.

He said that Stewart and another friend had gone away to a holiday camp before these offences to go cold turkey and get off drugs, but unfortunately when he returned he met up with his old friends and started taking heroin again.

All the money taken in the robberies, he said, was used to buy heroin and crack cocaine for him and his accomplice.

Mr Burgess said Stewart had a supportive family, but he had been a drug addict for four years and was living away from home at the time of the offences.

Jailing him for three years Judge Lester Boothman said: "You know that these offences you committed were very serious."

Telling him he was going to pass a shorter sentence than normal because of Stewart's youth, and his co-operation with police, the judge added: "I believe that you are basically a decent young man but have got involved in drugs. I hope you get over that addiction.''