A violent, crack-smoking thief who armed himself with a squeezy bottle of ammonia has been given the chance to turn over a new leaf.

Drug addict Clint Kennedy, 22, told probation officers he realised he needed help to turn his life around and kick the drugs which he said caused his offending.

At Newcastle Crown Court, Judge David Wood referred Kennedy to drug treatment and testing order officers for assessment - but warned if they returned a bad report, he faced a lengthy jail term.

Kennedy, of John Williamson Street, South Shields, pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon, obtaining property by deception, attempting to obtain property by deception, and to theft. Police arrested and searched Kennedy at Dean Road, South Shields, on October 6 last year.

The thief had stashed in his underpants a yellow plastic Jif lemon bottle containing a dangerous ammonia solution.

This solution was used to turn cocaine powder into crack cocaine, Paul Currer, prosecuting, said, but could also be used as a weapon.

Mitigating, Shaun Routledge said Kennedy had gathered 18 convictions including violent crimes, theft and burglary, since he was first convicted at the age of 14. He said: "In the past year, Kennedy has moved from a youth to an adult custodial environment and this has led to a more mature outlook which was not in evidence some years ago.

"With the help of his family and his father, he wishes now to become a sensible, hard-working member of society."