A MAN who celebrated his acquittal from a wounding charge by going on a cocaine binge robbed two village shops to fund his new habit. Treymaine Davis, 20, started taking cocaine after being cleared of an attack by a jury in August last year. To pay off th

A MAN who celebrated his acquittal from a wounding charge by going on a cocaine binge robbed two village shops to fund his new habit.

Treymaine Davis, 20, started taking cocaine after being cleared of an attack by a jury in August last year.

To pay off the drug debt he built up he took part in two armed robberies, a court heard on Friday.

Prosecutor Alan Landsbury said that on September 19 last year a man went into the post office in Whitwell with a black stocking over his face and armed with a large knife. He threatened the cashier, forcing her to hand over £110 cash and 38 packets of cigarettes.

The next day the village store in Ashwell was robbed of £240 cash and £24 worth of cigarettes after a seven-inch knife was placed against the shopkeeper's neck.

On both occasions a dark coloured Renault Clio was seen driving away. The same car drove away from the Esso garage in London Road, Woolmer Green without paying, half an hour after the Ashwell robbery.

Two days later, Staffordshire police stopped the Clio on the M6 after it was seen travelling at very high speed in an area where there were road works and a 40 mph limit. Herts police were contacted and Davis was interviewed.

Davis, of Oaks Cross, Stevenage, appeared for sentence at Luton Crown Court having pleaded guilty to two robberies and one charge of making off without payment. He asked for 16 other offences to be taken into consideration.

Defence barrister Lawrence Selby told the court that Davis said he was not the man who had gone into the shops on the robberies, but had driven the car. He said he had a "blip" in his behaviour after taking cocaine.

He said Davis, who is about to become a father, was attempting to wipe the slate clean and would move away from the Stevenage area on his release from prison.

Judge John Farnworth told Davis he came very close to receiving an indeterminate sentence for public protection. He jailed him for a total of 33 months.