A judge slammed as ‘lamentable’ the failure by the probation service to offer a robber any unpaid work - since November.

Daniel Lewis had been ordered by Judge Michael Gledhill QC last November to get on with his community service or risk having his 18 month suspended jail sentence activated.

But when the 24-year-old's case came back before Oxford Crown Court this week it transpired that Lewis had not yet been offered any unpaid work.

Judge Gledhill told the probation officer in court: “I made it quite clear in November 22 to Mr Lewis that I was adjourning sentence for a month and that he either engaged with the unpaid work requirement not with the probation service but with the unpaid work requirement or the suspended sentence would be activated. It couldn’t be clearer.

“Absolutely nothing has been done to allow him to do what I wanted him to do and that is grossly unsatisfactory.”

He added: “I’m not having a go at you, of course I’m not. But I want you to speak to whoever is responsible for this lamentable state of affairs.”

Lewis, of Middleton Cheney, who admitted breaching the order, was given a further five hours of unpaid work. He was warned he risked being sent to prison if he breached the order again.