Court documents reveal the first robbery began after Travis Cain Reid, 23, filled a car up at Inland Petroleum in Narromine at 7.17pm on September 20 last year.

Reid, who hails from Tamworth, walked inside the business, got a bottle of milk, went to the counter and pulled out a yellow-handled tomahawk.

"Give me the money," he told a female service station attendant.

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Reid used the tomahawk to pry open the cash register, pulled out the till, returned to his car and drove off with about $1200.

On September 25, at about 8.27pm, Reid entered another Inland Petroleum outlet on Cobra Street in Dubbo.

According to court documents, Reid said "give me the money" to the female service station attendant, who activated a hold up alarm and told the robber to "F*** off".

He pulled out a knife and she thought he would stab her. Reid then lent over the counter, held the knife at the woman and made a jabbing, slashing motion.

He then left the service station and was seen running down Cobra Street.

After police investigated the robberies and observed close circuit television footage, they tried to arrest Reid on Macquarie Street in Dubbo on September 28 but he grabbed a police officer and resisted arrest.

He has been in custody since September 28 and was sentenced in the Dubbo District Court this week.

Judge Stephen Walmsley issued a finding of special circumstances in the case after details of Reid's intellectual disability were divulged and a report from forensic psychologist Anne Lucas was tabled in court.

Reid told the psychologist he stole to buy basic necessities and fund his drug habit.

He had a traumatic childhood and pleaded guilty, the court heard.

Judge Walmsley sentenced Reid to five years in jail with a three-year non-parole period. He will be eligible for release in October 2021.