A deaf man who robbed shops at knifepoint has been jailed for seven years.

The tough sentence comes just days after thousands of pounds was stolen from a building society by knife robbers.

Cash was scattered across the street as raiders fled from the Nationwide Building Society on Tuesday.

Judge David Rennie said yesterday (fri) he had a duty to protect businesses from violent armed robbers.

His comments were made as he sentenced Michael Gary for two knife robberies carried out in October.

The judge said: "Such shops need to be protected when cases of this sort come before the courts.

"These were very serious robberies committed against vulnerable shop premises.

"A large knife was produced to guarantee compliance by staff who can only have been frightened by your actions."

Richard Cherrill, prosecuting, said Gary went into Threshers off-licence in Terminus Road, Eastbourne, on October 24.

He started a conversation about wine with the shop assistant but then suddenly pulled a large knife.

Mr Cherrill said Gary told the terrified assistant: "I have done this six times before."

He snatched £817 from the till and safe before fleeing from the shop.

However, he cut himself on the knife and his DNA was later found to match blood found in the shop.

Just days earlier Gary, 26, of no fixed address, had carried out a similar robbery at a shop in Llandudno, North Wales.

He held an assistant at knifepoint making no attempt to disguise himself from CCTV cameras in the store.

Mr Cherrill said Gary helped himself to £2,800 before bundling the terrified assistant into a cupboard.

Mr Cherrill added: "Feeling philanthropic he handed the girl £140 from the money he had taken before locking the cupboard door."

Gary again cut himself on the knife and a match was made with his DNA.

He pleaded guilty to the two robberies and appeared at Hove Crown Court for sentence yesterday. (fri) He has a long record for offences including violence, burglary and drugs, mainly in the Liverpool area.

John Marsden-Lynch, defending, said Gary was considered to have an antisocial personality because of his partial deafness.

However, he has not used the disability as an excuse but resented other people judging him because of it.

Judge Rennie jailed Gary for three-and-a-half years for each of the robberies.

He said: "You are only 26 and you have a very bad criminal record. Only a substantial prison sentence can be justified.

The sentence comes after The Argus reported the use of knives in three robberies in just one week.

On Sunday masked raiders threatened a shopkeeper at Threshers in Powis Road, Seven Dials, Brighton, with a knife and cowboy-style revolver.

They fled after Michael Tapper 48, pressed a panic button setting off an alarm.

On Thursday The Argus carried dramatic pictures and CCTV footage of the Nationwide robbery in Hove in the paper and on our website.

We described how up to 80 people scooped thousands of pounds worth of £20 notes up off the streets after a cashbox snatched from a Group 4 Securicor guard burst open.

The raider had threatened him with a knife before grabbing the money and fleeing with an accomplice who was waiting nearby on a motorbike.