A POPPY tin thief who threatened a Good Samaritan with a hammer as he made his escape has been jailed for nine months.

John Young was armed with the weapon when he smashed his way into the Co-op on Cheney Manor Road in his latest bout of burglary.

And after plundering cigarettes and tobacco, as well as the charity collection, the 35-year-old brandished the weapon at a neighbour who was investigating the noise.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how a resident in the road was at home on the evening of Sunday, October 18, when the break in took place.

"He heard the smashing sound. Sadly that particular Co-op on Cheney Manor Road has been burgled all too many times," he said.

"He heard the sound and went out and he saw the defendant at the cigarette kiosk shovelling cigarette packets in to a black bin liner.

"The police had been called. He suggested Mr Young should stay on the premises. The defendant then came out through the broken glass.

"He accepts the hammer he had used to smash his way into the property was brandished in such a way that Mr Price thought would mean violence would be brought on him."

He said the neighbour said the raider fired off a volley of threats but the defendants version that he swore telling him to 'Get out of my way' was accepted.

Mr Meeke said he then jumped on to a push bike and rode off only to be tackled by a police officer who arrived on the scene.

"The defendant skidded, came off the bike and started running, but was quickly reduced to custody and handcuffed," he said.

"The claw hammer was found in the waistband of his jeans and the bag was full of the swag he had stolen."

When he was questioned he admitted the break in saying he had been arguing with his partner, had gone to a friend's house and decided how to make quick money.

Young, of Lilac Court, Pinehurst, admitted burglary, threatening another with an offensive weapon and possessing a small amount of cannabis.

The court heard he had a long history of crime and was jailed for 18 weeks in April after he burgled the Co-op on Cricklade Road for cigarettes.

Mark Sharman, defending, said: "He knows he will be sent to immediate custody. As he states in interview he had had argued with his girlfriend.

"That argument, not surprisingly, was over money. He had been working at the time for a skip hire company. His bills had run up to an unmanageable level.

"His partner's money, including housing benefit, had been stopped. He had already borrowed up to £1,000 from his mother.

"He very candidly said 'I got drunk and I fell back into my old ways'. For the past 20 years he has battled addiction to both heroin and cocaine."

Passing sentence Judge Peter Blair QC said: "You went in equipped with that hammer and it is quite a lot of damage stealing these cigarettes and Poppy Appeal tin.

"Your sentence has to be aggravated by a terrible list of previous convictions and you were jailed earlier this year."