A TEENAGE father behind a string of crimes was handed a six-month jail term and told to sort his problems out.

Daniel Lewis admitted a catalogue of crimes at Banbury Magistrates’ Court including shoplifting, assault, burglary and public disorder over six-week a period.

Cathy Olliver, prosecuting, said the 19-year-old had shoplifted from the Cooperative, Aldi and Mace stores in Banbury between April and May this year.

He also admitted hurling abuse at a staff member in McDonald’s and punching Shaw Dickinson repeatedly in the face after their girlfriends got into a fight.

Kathryn Havington, defending, said her client, of School View, Banbury, started getting into trouble when he became involved with Roisin McLoughlin.

She added: “Most of his offending has been intrinsically linked to his relationship with Roisin McLoughlin. She is a 24-year-old female who has quite a troubled past.”

Miss Havington appealed for a suspended sentence so Lewis could continue to support his six-month-old daughter.

However, at Oxford Crown Court yesterday Judge Ian Pringle QC said he could not ignore so many crimes so close together and jailed Lewis for six months as well as fining him £200.

He said: “At the age of 19 I have to sentence you for a large number of offences. Not offences of the most serious sort on their own, but taken together a real orgy of offending.

“You are an adult and you have got to understand it is down to you to sort your own problems out. You are at the beginning of adulthood, make sure that you don’t waste it.”