A robber who claimed to be HIV positive as he threatened to stab a teenage shop worker with a syringe has been jailed for three years.

Gary Compton, 25, of Farmer Road, Birmingham, admitted robbery during a hearing at Oxford Crown Court on May 12.

Compton threatened the 16-year-old with the syringe, which was filled with blue liquid, at 4.50pm at the Heyford Hill Sainsbury's store in Littlemore, Oxford, on February 22.

He had been posing as a customer before he announced he was HIV positive, ordered her to hand him money from the till, and made off with £190 in cash.

The girl, who worked at the store on Saturdays, was left in shock after the robbery.

Police appealed for witnesses through the Oxford Mail and examined CCTV footage in order to track Compton.

Dc Garry Knight, of Oxford CID, said: "This was a vicious and frightening offence and the girl Compton threatened was terrified by it.

"It was a successful prosecution, and we did a good job on it.

"Compton was a drug addict, who was using crack and heroin.

"He told me when I arrested him he was happy to go to prison to sort out the drug habit that was costing him £80 per day.

"He went off the rails when he'd been living with his girlfriend and lost the house they had rented together. His life went to pieces."

Richard Bunce, store manager, said the sentence was totally justified.

He said: "The young lady involved is fine now, but at the time she was totally traumatised by the whole thing. It took her a couple of months to get over it.

"Threatening people with syringes, saying 'I am HIV positive' is totally unacceptable."