A CONVICTED robber who jumped out of a bedroom window armed with a machete terrified motorists as he walked down a road, stripped to the waist and covered in blood, a court heard.

Thirty-two year-old Steven Robinson had been encountering mental health problems when he smashed his way out of a first-floor flat in Church, Burnley Crown Court was told.

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Robinson had not intended to threaten anyone though and, while gripped by paranoid thoughts, was attempting to seek help, according to his lawyer.

The defendant has since been recalled to serve an outstanding portion of a 66-month prison term, imposed after he carried out an attempted robbery with an axe at a corner shop in Clayton-le-Moors in 2011.

Robinson, formerly of Henry Street, who admitted possession of an offensive weapon, was ordered to serve a 12-month prison sentence for the offence.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said the defendant’s partner awoke one day last May and noticed Robinson ‘did not seem himself’.

He had barricaded the bedroom door and she was aware he had been seeking assistance for mental health issues recently.

He smashed the bedroom window and climbed out onto a ledge before dropping to the floor.

A female motorist was waiting at the lights on Henry Street when she was approached by Robinson holding a foot-long machete.

He tried to open the passenger-side door but it was locked and she drove away.

Visibly shaken, she reported the matter to police when she arrived home later.

Robinson eventually ditched the machete and was arrested later by police, the court heard. He told officers he had broken out of the bedroom in a panic as he was convinced other people were in the house.

Mark Stuart, defending, said his client suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after being seriously abused in custody, and had exhibited signs of psychosis.

Robinson had not been taking his medication and accepted his behaviour to be ‘terrifying’, he added.