A thief who stole a bottle of rum from a store later spat at and attacked police after they went to arrest him.

James Perowne took the rum, worth £7.99 from the store in Park Mall, Ashford but he was spotted by staff walking out without paying.

Staff reported the matter to police and when an officer went to the area to find 30-year-old Perowne, they quickly located him nearby.

But Perowne started to become abusive when a female officer approached him and threatened to kick her in her private area.

The officer radioed for help from her colleagues and as other officers arrived at the scene and tried to apprehend him, he began struggling with them and shoulder-barged one officer and head-butted another on their shoulder.

He then spat at the female officer which landed in her hair and then spat at another officer which hit him in the right eye.

As he was being arrested Perowne continued to abuse the officers telling them he hoped they and their children died of cancer.

He was later charged with four offences including three counts of assault on an emergency worker and one count of shoplifting.

Perowne, formerly from the Maidstone area, but now living in Simons Avenue in South Ashford, pleaded guilty to all offences when he appeared at Folkestone Magistrates' Court on January 11.

James Nichols prosecuting told the District Judge Justin Barron the officers had given impact statements to the court about the incident.

One officer said they found the incident vile and did not accept being spat at in their role as a police officer and another said being spat at was worse than being punched.

Mr Nichols added: "He has previous convictions for violence."

The court also heard Perowne has genuine remorse about the vile comments he made and was disgusted in relation to the spitting.

Judge Barron also heard he'd spent his early life in foster care and had been sectioned before because of his mental health issues and had previously been homeless.

The judge decided to adjourn sentencing for a pre-sentencing report to be carried out on Perowne and he will be sentenced at the same court on March 29.