A thief with closely-cropped hair told shop workers ‘I will take what I f***ing want’ – later stealing hair straighteners and crimpers worth hundreds of pounds.

Elliott Harper’s spree began in April this year, within days of his release from prison for other offending.

This week, Oxford Crown Court heard that the 28-year-old with more than 100 offences on his rap sheet had returned to crime after falling back in with old associates and drug addictions.

Jailing him for nine months, Judge Ian Pringle KC encouraged him in his stated ambition to remain drug-free on his release and return to family in Wales.

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“These are the best years of your life. Make use of them,” he told the thief.

Prosecuting, Matthew Ralston said that Harper walked into Sally’s, a beauty store in Oxford, on May 11 and told staff: “I will take what I f***ing want.”

He grabbed the items nearest to him, which turned out to be a pair of hair straighteners and some crimpers.

As he left, Harper echoed the words made famous by strongman Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator, saying to staff: “I’ll be back.”

He was responsible for a raft of other thefts, taking a £1,000 bike from outside an Oxford property in May and stealing more than £400-worth of razors from a Sainsbury’s supermarket on May 4.

On April 15, he stole a £500 electric scooter in the city centre. He was caught on CCTV the following month stealing another bike, which was also worth £1,000.

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When he was detained by a police community support officer in Oxford on June 12 he was found to have a small amount of heroin. The quantity was consistent with it being for personal use.

Harper, of Furlong Close, Oxford, pleaded guilty at the magistrates to theft, threatening behaviour and possession of a class A drug.

Mitigating, George Joseph said his client had previously moved away from the Oxford area to live in Wales. He was clean from drugs, was working and ‘living a pro-social life’.

Oxford Mail: Elliott Harper's police mugshot Picture: TVP

The sad death of his father brought Harper back to the city, where he fell under the spell of ‘old associates’.

The defendant was ‘desperate’ for help addressing his difficulties with drugs, Mr Joseph said. He had the CSCS card qualification enabling him to work on construction sites and was clean of drugs.

Addressing the defendant’s barrister, Judge Pringle said: “It’s the people round you that matter, because if you put the wrong people round you, you’ll slip again.

“I’m impressed by what he’s done in custody. He’s clearly got a head of steam up to put this life behind him.”

Harper will serve half of his nine month sentence in custody before being eligible for release on licence.

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