ATTACKING a bus driver and stealing £845 worth of jackets to fund a heroin addiction landed a Bouldnor man in jail.

Simon Flux, 36, of St Swithins Crescent, had been in and out of prison and was on a conditional discharge when he tried to board a bus in Newport using a travel card that wasn't his own, Ann Smout, prosecuting, told Isle of Wight magistrates.

The court heard how bus driver Anthony Sharpe had requested a closer look at the card and found it was in a woman's name.

Mr Sharpe told Flux he could not have the card back and Flux became aggressive, leaning over the driver and trying to wrestle the card off him.

In doing so, Mr Sharpe's glasses were knocked off the bridge of his nose and he was injured, Mrs Smout told the court.

In a victim impact statement, Mr Sharpe said the incident had a big affect on him and said he didn't come to work to be assaulted.

The next day, Flux went into Henri Lloyd shop on Cowes High Street and stole five jackets, valued £845.

Flux admitted the offences and said that he stole the items to buy heroin.

For Flux, Oscar Vincent said that on the day Flux attacked the bus driver, he had promised he would visit his children, but didn't have any money for the bus fare.

Mr Vincent said his client had had a relapse into heroin use.

A probation officer said that Flux had completely disengaged from the offender management supervision process and could no longer be managed in the community.

Magistrates jailed Flux for a total of 26 weeks — 18 weeks for the theft, four weeks for the assault and four weeks for breaching the conditional discharge, which was for another assault.

Flux's offender manager said: "It is apparent that his earlier sentence failed to deter him from further offending."