Shoplifter jailed for assaulting guards after stealing carton of orange juice

James Hudson took it off the shelf and walked out of a Sainsbury’s Local convenience store in Wolverhampton city centre without making any attempt to pay.

A security guard followed him and asked for the return of the item but the 33-year-old defendant refused, the city’s Crown Court heard.

He got in a struggle with the guard and kicked a second member of staff who went to help his colleague in the head while lashing out in a desperate bid to escape.

The two men detained him until the arrival of police who had to deploy a CS spray before they could get him into their van.

When the vehicle reached the police station the defendant unleashed a "torrent of racial abuse" at officers, revealed Miss Amanda O’Mara, prosecuting.

Mr Timothy Sapwell, defending, maintained: “He was dealt with in quite a heavy handed way and this led to his reaction on reaching the police station.”

Mr Sapwell said Hudson had stopped using cannabis since the incident, which occurred on February 8 last year.

The defendant, now living in St Ann’s, Nottingham, was convicted of shoplifting and two offences of assault with intent to resist arrest following a trial.

He admitted racially aggravated harassment.

Hudson was jailed for 46 weeks by Recorder Stephen Thomas.

He said: “The security guards you assaulted were doing no more than their job.”