Rudell Valentino Pitcher will spend the next four years behind bars for his part in the violent robbery of two men for $388 in February 2005.

He was a young man who had committed the offences to feed his drug addiction, lawyer Charles Richardson told the Supreme Court as he represented Pitcher.

Mr. Richardson requested that Pitcher, who admitted his part in the robberies, be given whatever supervision is available both in prison and once released to help him overcome his drug addiction.

?If he serves a sentence with no supervision it is a guarantee that he will be back before the court,? said Mr. Richardson. Chief Justice Richard Ground has indicated he was thinking of imposing a five-year jail term in light of Pitcher?s past record of failing to co-operate with court services and probation orders, but on hearing an argument put forward by Mr. Richardson that sought residential and after-care for drug addiction for Pitcher, decided to make it a four-year term to be followed by one year probation.

Mr. Justice Ground said he hoped the prison service would get its in-house drug service improved during the time that Pitcher is incarcerated.

Speaking to Pitcher he said: ?I hope while you are in prison you have the opportunity for education and rehabilitation and you will have a probation officer to assist you. The sort of offences you are committing attract increasing sentences in the courts. Last time it was three years, this time it is four years and next time it might be seven years.

?The only way for you to get out of the cycle is to buy into the opportunities (for rehabilitation).?

Pitcher?s probation will include an instruction to abstain from all drugs and alcohol, attend rehabilitation programmes, and refrain from association with anyone involved in criminal activity.