A man said to have come under pressure over a drugs debt has admitted attempting to rob a Prestatyn pharmacy.

Defendant David Phillip Norman, aged 22, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Friday via a live television link from Altcourse Prison in Liverpool.

Norman, of Rhodfa Padarn, Prestatyn, pleaded guilty to a charge that on September 22 he attempted to rob a member of staff at Pritchard’s Pharmacy in the town’s Victoria Road, and that at the time he had with him an imitation firearm, a gas powered pistol, with intent to cause the victim to fear that unlawful violence would be used against her.

Norman also admitted four earlier shoplifting offences and his barrister Simon Mintz said that his client would like to be sentenced immediately.

He would not be asking for a pre-sentence report and he said a prison sentence was inevitable.

But Judge Timothy Petts said that while he would sentence if that was possible – because he appreciated that he and his family would want to know his fate – there was insufficient time on the link facility from custody.

He was remanded in custody to be sentenced next week.

The court was told that the defendant had come under pressure from drug dealers who said that they wanted their money.

Prosecutor David Mainstone while the defendant may have come under pressure over a debt it had been up to him how he got the money.

He had not been told to try and rob the premises.