A ROBBER who pinched meat and cheese to fund his £30-a-day drug habit has been locked up for 12 months.

Prolific shoplifter Dua Noah scared shop workers into believing he was armed when he strolled into the East Oxford store to steal the food.

The 29-year-old, who has 32 convictions for 68 offences, claimed he needed to flog the food to fund his five-year addiction to crack cocaine.

Sentencing at Oxford Crown Court, Recorder Caroline Goodwin QC condemned Noah for his repeated failures to comply with court orders and history of offending, which included 20 convictions for shoplifting.

She added: "It goes without saying, breaking a drug habit is very difficult but you have had opportunity after opportunity given to you."

The robber set his sights on Cowley Road's Co-op store, walking in between 11pm and 11.30pm, prosecutor Merril Hughes said.

Noah loaded his shopping basket with the items but did not go towards the tills, causing staff to become suspicious.

The defendant was then spotted taking something out of his backpack and placing it in his pocket, the prosecutor told the court on Tuesday.

A member of staff loomed closer to the robber, quizzing him about whether he had paid for the items, but Noah uttered 'don't follow me' and headed towards the exit.

Noah was then seen reaching into his jacket pocket and removing something before extending his arm and pointing at a staff member less than one metre away.

The robber, of Shirley Place, Oxford, continued to tell 'frightened' staff not to follow him, managing to flee the store with the stolen goods.

Ms Hughes said: "Clearly he has produced something that has put these witnesses in fear of him."

Defence barrister Sumita Mahtab-Shaikh said Noah was holding a lighter in his hand but did not intend to make staff believe he was grasping a weapon.

The robber, who has had a drug addiction for about five or six years, confessed he was 'waving his arms around', scaring the staff so they would keep away and he could flee.

Noah, who is 'ashamed' of his offending, was sofa-surfing four weeks before he robbed the store and was suffering from depression after breaking up with his partner, the barrister added.

Ms Mahtab-Shaikh urged Recorder Goodwin to hand the robber a suspended sentence, alleging a drug rehabilitation requirement ordered by the court would have been the only way Noah could have tackled his addiction.

She attempted to convince the court Noah was an 'intelligent' man, having achieved 10 GCSEs and three AS Levels, but the recorder rejected her claims, adding: "He can hardly be intelligent if he keeps going out offending."

Noah, who must pay a victim surcharge, admitted robbery on February 5.