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A Ramsgate man walked into a chemist's shop - brandished a knife at staff and demanded: "Give me the morphine, give me the MST and give me the Sevredol...!"

Matthew Harkett, 33, of Ellington Road, blamed the bizarre robbery on a desperate need for painkillers for a back problem.

But a judge said the drug addict had terrified staff at Courts Pharmacy in Grange Road and jailed him for three years.

During the raid in December last year, Harkett - who was a regular customer at the Chemists - slashed his face and then handed the pharmacist Christopher Bridges a laptop while he filled a bag with the drugs.

Prosecutor James Bilsland told Canterbury Crown Court how Mr Bridges heard shouting from a man who was behaving aggressively and realised that it was Harkett, who was a regular customer and known to the staff.

"Harkett had a large kitchen carving knife and the female staff backed away and one of them was despatched to get the police.

"Harkett was shouting: 'Give me the morphine' while pointing the knife at staff member, Louise Musgrave, moving the weapon up and down.

"He was shouting: 'Give me the morphine..give me the MSG...give me the Sevredol!'," added Mr Bilsland.

The pharmacist - in an attempt to distract him - told the robber that he had the drug cabinet keys and Harkett moved towards him pointing the knife.

Mr Bridges later told police: "I really thought that if he didn't get what he wanted he was going to stab me. I feared for my life. I opened the door and stepped aside."

Harkett walked past him shouting: "I don't know what I am doing" and started to cut the right side of his face before stabbing out at some boxes.

Mr Bridges added: "I feared that if I stayed there he was going to stab me in my back."

The pharmacist gave him a plastic bag and Harkett started filling it up with drugs but only after handing Mr Bridges a laptop that he had been carrying.

After his arrest Harkett told police that five days before the robbery he had take "a great deal" of amphetamines..and then started to drink.

Then for three days he wasn't able to take any drugs and went "cold turkey", telling officers that he felt like he was "going crazy".

Harkett, appeared in the dock with cuts over his face, when he admitted a charge of robbery.

Ian Foinette, defending said: "This was a bizarre robbery. And when he realised what he had put the staff through he felt sick to his stomach."

Judge Adele Williams - in praising the pharmacist for his bravery - said: "the staff must have been terrified and Mr Bridges feared for his life.

"Your problems stem from your addiction to alcohol and amphetamines and other illegal substances. It is high time you got your life in order and rid yourself of your addictions."

MST is Morphine Sulphate and Sevredol is a morphine sulphate based drug used to treat pain