A serial offender has begged a sheriff for help to tackle his drug problem.
William Hilston's lawyer said he fears that when freed from prison he'll commit further crimes if he's not given support.
Hilston, 31, and Daniel Terry, 36, were armed with a knife when they terrified an attendant at a Hamilton petrol station.
They grabbed the man and brandished the blade after approaching the till.
The early morning incident happened at the BP station in Burnbank Road on September 4, 2020.
At Hamilton Sheriff Court, Hilston and Terry admitted assaulting the attendant, but allegations that they ordered him to open the till and robbed him of cash and cigarettes were deleted from the charge.
Hilston was on early release from prison at the time of the incident.
He appeared from custody, having been remanded since his arrest.
Defence agent Lucy McKenna urged Sheriff Colin Dunipace to consider an alternative to further prison time.
She said: "He has been given custodial sentences on and off since he was 18.
"The driving factor in his offending seems to be drug misuse.
"He has abstained from alcohol and drugs while in custody but fears that if he is released without support he will struggle."
Sandy Morrison, defending Terry, said he too blamed his behaviour on a recurring drugs issue.
Sheriff Dunipace adjourned the case to assess both accused for a drug treatment and testing order.
Hilston was given bail to an address in Burnbank while Terry had his bail order continued.
The sheriff warned them: "Don't read too much into this. Custody is still very much a possibility."
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