A magistrate told a defendant he hoped prison had given him the 'short, sharp shock' he needed before freeing him.

Adam Dean, 18, admitted racially-aggravated assault, possession of heroin, theft from a shop and breaching a youth order, when he appeared at King's Lynn magistrates.

Stacey Cossey, prosecuting, said on October 25, he verbally abused a carer and threatened to punch her, after locking himself in the bathroom and refusing to allow her in to use the toilet.

On December 6, police located Dean, of Morley's Leet, Lynn, after he had been reported missing, she told the court. Officers found him in possession of £15-worth of heroin.

And on December 13, Dean was arrested after stealing food and cosmetics worth £51 from Sainsbury's. He told officers he had stolen the items to sell because he had a drug problem.

Miss Cossey said Dean had a record of 16 convictions and 27 offences. In mitigation Richard Mann, for Dean, said he had spent Christmas on remand. He said he had had a 'very difficult time' as possibly the youngest inmate in Norwich Prison and certainly the shortest.

'He's had food chucked at him, he's been pushed around quite a bit,' he said.

He added Dean had witnessed abuse and been abused as a child, suffered problems including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, drink and drug addiction, and had attempted to take his own life.

Chair of the bench Bill Hush sentenced Dean to three weeks for the assault, revoked the youth order and sentenced him to a week instead and gave him a week each for theft from the shop and possession of heroin, the final two to run concurrently, making a total of five.

As Dean had served 18 days on remand, the sentence means he would be freed today.

Mr Hush said previous pre-sentencing reports said before Dean was remanded said needed a short, sharp shock.

'Let's hope that has provided the short, sharp shock you needed,' he said.

Dean was also ordered to pay his carer £100 in compensation and will be supervised in the community for a year.