JAILED: Poppy and hospice tin thief raided four shops in 10 days

Liam Bailey, aged 32, targeted Nisa in Willenhall three times in a 10-day period to fund his crack-cocaine addiction.

He also robbed a Co-op store in Walsall where he told a worker "heads are coming off" if anyone stopped him.

Bailey, of Keats Road, Willenhall, pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery and one count of theft.

Judge Amjad Nawaz sentenced him to 21 months in prison.

Defending, Jonathan Rosen, told the court: "At the time, he was desperate to acquire the goods so he could satisfy his cravings for Class A drugs."

He continued: "In 2011, the defendant was shot which resulted in an injury to his leg.

"Following that, he fell into drug use and was using crack cocaine and heroin. It spiralled from there and he got into this type of offending."

The court heard that Bailey has 32 convictions relating to 64 offences, many of which relate to shoplifting.

Bailey first targeted the Nisa store on April 12. He entered just before closing time when no-one was behind the counter and he stole three bottles of vodka.

He then returned on April 15 and got into a tussle with a staff member as he stole bottles of gin and vodka.

Staff subsequently banned Bailey from the premises. But he returned for a final time to rob the store on April 22.

Despite protests from staff at his presence, he threatened to knock-out a worker before proceeding to steal a poppy collection tin.

And the previous day, on April 21, he robbed the Co-op in Walsall, where he stole 10 bars of chocolate and a St Giles Hospice charity tin.

When one staff member approached Bailey, he replied "if anyone touches me, heads are coming off", the court heard.

Judge Nawaz said: "The staff (at Nisa) must have been fed up to the bone with the defendant stealing and intimidating staff."

He added: "The rate of offending is troubling."

Bailey was also handed a restraining order which stops him from returning to the Nisa store for five years.