A robber who went on a three-day spree terrifying shopkeepers at knifepoint has been jailed for almost five years.

Matthew Lycett managed to steal just over £400 to pay off drug debts before he was trapped by a fingerprint left on a till and a distinctive tattoo on his forearm.

Judge Jeremy Carey told the 23-year-old with 32 previous convictions it was easy to state the offences in a relatively sterile way.

But he added: “That matter of a few minutes must have been terrifying for the shop owner. It is the kind of incident that every owner knows goes with the job because of the violent society in which we live with people like you who commit these offences.

“So, these offences are not fairyland - they are real. You left a trail of fear and apprehension in your wake.”

Maidstone Crown Court heard Lycett went into Essentials store in Canterbury Street, Gillingham, on October 15, when Praveen Karimilla was counting the cash in his till just before 11pm.

Wearing a black baseball cap, with a blue cap on top, a scarf covering his face and gloves, he brandished a knife and demanded money.

Mr Karamilla attempted to close the till drawer, but Lycett stopped him and grabbed £160 before fleeing.

The next morning Kahn Mohammed was in his shop Poets in Shakespeare Road when he was confronted by Lycett with a cap pulled down over his face and threatening him with a knife.

The robber became intimidated when Mr Mohammed pretended there was somebody at the back of the store. He left empty-handed.

Prosecutor Steve Attridge said the following day Akolam Ugonna was working at an Esso petrol station in Watling Street when Lycett walked in at 11.15pm and asked what time he was closing.

He left after Mr Ugonna told him the station closed at midnight, but returned five minutes later armed with a knife and demanded cash, telling him: “Open the till or I’ll stab you.”

Mr Ugonna tried to retreat into a store as Lycett grabbed about £250.

Mr Attridge said Lycett was linked to the robbery by a fingerprint on the till and the tattoo. He was also identified by a police officer who saw CCTV footage.

Lycett, of no fixed address, admitted two offences of robbery, one of attempted robbery and three of making threats with a blade.

He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years for the raids and three months consecutive for breaching a suspended sentence for burglary.