Jason Jordan Trindall grabbed a 62-year-old shopkeeper in the midst of a robbery in South Tamworth in May last year.

The 28-year-old was due to be sentenced on Wednesday, but the case came to a halt when his lawyer Wendy McAuliffe argued Trindall could not be held accountable for his impulsive decision-making because he grew up in a home "marred" by parental substance abuse.

"The consequences are what brings us here," she said.

"In the home he grew up in and the community he grew up in, this was normal."

Trindall's father began to supply him with illicit drugs at the age of 18, Ms McAuliffe told the court, and he has continued to use numerous substances since.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery in company last year after he grabbed Sue Wilkinson, who said she was left bruised after the incident at Hillvue Superette.

Trindall then stole the cash register and its contents at around 5:25pm.

Read also:

Reports tendered in court showed Trindall used cannabis with his peers to 'kick back with the boys'.

Judge Jeffery McLennan said there was nothing to suggest the choices that landed him in court were not his own and there were inconsistencies in the sentence reports.

"He's someone who enjoys taking drugs," he said.

"Mr Trindall is an example of someone we see all the time. "The impression I have got from reading this material and his criminal history is he is manipulative and dishonest and will say what suits him if he thinks it is going to get him an advantage."

The matter will return in mid-May.

Want more court and crime news? Subscribe to the Leader to read it here first