PORTLAND (AP) — A Maine man who was stripped of the right to a court-appointed lawyer before being convicted of robbery is in a hurry to complete the case.

Joshua Nisbet, who’s been jailed since July 2011, asked the judge to sentence him on the spot Thursday after a jury rejected his defense and convicted him of robbing a convenience store at knifepoint.

“I’d rather not shoot from the hip, Mr. Nisbet,” Justice Thomas Warren responded.

The judge ruled that the 36-year-old from Scarborough “forfeited” his right to a lawyer after he went through five court-appointed attorneys while awaiting trial. All five had asked to be removed from the case. One said Nisbet threatened to shoot him in the eye with a BB gun, but Nisbet denied making the threat.

Nisbet may be the first criminal defendant in Maine to lose the right to a court-appointed attorney after qualifying for one based on his economic need.

But Nisbet is no longer lawyerless.

His stand-by lawyers, Mark Peltier and Luke Rioux, agreed to represent him at his sentencing next week. The judge also said he’s open to having a court-appointed lawyer for Nisbet’s appeal.

Rioux said it made sense for Nisbet to try to hurry up the case. Nisbet cannot file an appeal until he’s sentenced, for one thing, and the verdict will undoubtedly be appealed, Rioux said.

Nisbet faces up to 30 years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Bud Ellis described the trial scenario as “bizarre” but said he fastidiously stayed out of the lawyer-or-no-lawyer discussion. “It’s a truly unique situation,” he said.