A robber who stole cars from the John Radcliffe Hospital car park and used them in armed robberies around Oxford has been jailed for six years.

Andrew Ivison, 31, of Hunter Close, Oxford, was caught on CCTV attempting to carry out two armed robberies -- once bizarrely wearing pink gloves and a pair of boots borrowed from his teenage son.

Appearing at Oxford Crown Court on Friday (Fri 20) he admitted one count of attempted robbery and one of robbery, and he asked for a further 39 offences to be taken into account.

The repeat offender has appeared in court numerous times before, and once even admitted to a further 358 extra offences on top of those he was charged with. Amjad Malik, prosecuting, said the first attack took place in the Co-op in Banbury Road, Kidlington, in December last year when a 17-year-old working in the shop was threatened and hit with a bar before Ivison escaped with £716 from the till.

This was caught on camera, as was an attempted robbery in Costcutters in Old Marston Road, Oxford, in January of this year.

Here Ivison entered brandishing two knives in his pink-gloved hands, and leapt across the counter, leaving footprints which were traced to boots he had borrowed off his son.

The 39 further offences he admitted to included a further robbery at the Co-op, just 11 days after the first, one at Threshers, in High Street, Headington, other commercial burglaries, and taking vehicles.

Hugh Williams, defending, said in the attacks on Co-op and Threshers Ivison was the driver of the getaway car but did not enter the shop.

He added that Ivison's crimes had mainly taken place after he lost his job and home, and turned to heroin use.

Sentencing Ivison, Judge Anthony King said: "On each occasion you targeted small shops where there was one employee working on his own and you prepared for what you were going to do."

The six-year sentence runs concurrently on each count.