A “DESPERATE" knife-wielding alcoholic who brazenly robbed an off-licence twice in the space of three hours has been jailed for four years at Bradford Crown Court.

Prosecutor Andrew Horton said Donovan Taylor, 36, of Swan Court, Swan Lane, Lockwood in Huddersfield committed the first robbery at 8.30am on January 10 when he helped himself to cans of cider from a fridge at Paddock News on Market Street.

When confronted by a female worker, who knew him as a regular customer, he said: “Leave me alone. I’m desperate. I have to drink. I will smash you by knife” - but did not reveal a weapon.

He returned at 11.25am and took more cans of cider from the same fridge. This time he brandished a small kitchen knife towards the woman as she emerged from a stockroom and repeated his threat.

The woman said she was very scared and told Taylor he had to stop. The incident was caught on CCTV, which was screened in court.

Taylor was disturbed by another customer. He went next door and called the police who quickly located Taylor nearby with the cider and the knife.

On being arrested he was described as “visibly shaking” and referred to being homeless. He later tested positive for cocaine. During interview, he did not deny the robberies.

Mitigating, Fen Greatley-Hirsch said the “short-lived incident” had come about due to Taylor’s struggles with alcoholism.

He said: “In the new year when these offences took place Mr Taylor was drinking so much that he was regularly blacking out.

“He had spent Christmas and the new year sleeping rough, falling in with very poor associates, and effectively felt that he had very little purpose in his life.

“He had no intention of using the knife. The alcoholism was so strong that he was desperate.”

Sentencing Taylor to a total of four years in prison Mr Recorder Simon Kealey KC said: “You were very clearly suffering from alcoholism that day. You were at a very low ebb.

“In some ways whilst that is an explanation for your behaviour it is not an excuse and it’s not any real comfort to [the victim], who had to put up with you on that occasion.”

He ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the knife.