Daniel Thornton, 25, burst into the Boots store in Heaton, Bradford, shouting 'armed robbery'

Daniel Thornton, 25, entered the chemists on Haworth Road in Heaton, Bradford, on March 5, but was immediately confronted by staff member Nina Brighouse-Johnson, who told him to get out.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Thornton was on bail at the time of the bungled raid, having committed various offences, including repeated criminal damage, in the latter part of 2017.

Prosecutor David Bradshaw said that in September, October, and December last year, Thornton repeatedly damaged sheltered accommodation in which he was living in Bradford.

On one occasion, he deliberately set fire to a laptop bag and let the blaze spread to damage a bedroom window. The following day, he assaulted his landlord, Amjid Choudrey, by spraying him with a fire extinguisher.

Thornton also tore down a section of dry wall in his room, and when confronted, said: “I might just do some more damage later, it’ll be a lot worse.”

When he was moved to a care home in Keighley, the defendant again smashed up his room at a cost of around £1,000.

Thornton, of Chellowfield Court, Bradford, pleaded guilty to charges of affray, the possession of a bladed article, arson, and multiple counts of criminal damage.

Ian Hudson, defending, said Thornton was a “vulnerable” individual who was affected by autism. He described his clients actions in trying to raid the chemists as “a cry for help”, and added: “He said he wanted to be arrested and wishes to be incarcerated.”

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, praised the actions of Mrs Brighouse-Johnson in forcing Thornton out of the store.

He said: “She told this man where to go, and where to go, he did.”

Jailing Thornton for 40 months, he told him: “We’ve got here, blatantly, a big list of offences. You’ve got many problems, you know that yourself.

“This was wanton damage at great expense. I can’t do anything but lock you up. I have to look at protecting the public.”