A drunk man began throwing shopping baskets around Iceland and spat directly in a worker's face after staff said they would not sell him alcohol.

Lupascu Pisica had gone into the Ashford branch to get some booze, but became angry after he was refused service because employees thought he was already heavily intoxicated.

As a result he picked up some shopping baskets and started throwing them around the store in front of other shocked customers.

But as a staff member tried to usher him out of the store, he spat in her face and pushed her.

His spit hit her directly in the face and also landed on her hair.

The incident happened on December 9 last year and the 55-year-old was later arrested.

Pisica, of Pevensey Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, was later charged with assault by beating and admitted the offence when he appeared at Folkestone Magistrates' Court on January 11.

The court heard the shop worker had written a victim impact statement to the court about her ordeal.

In it she said she was disgusted by what Pisica had done and was worried about catching anything contagious he may have had - so much so, she washed her face immediately.

She also said Pisica had raised his fists at her which left her scared as she didn't know what he was capable of.

James Nichols prosecuting said: "He has a number of previous convictions for violence including assaults on police.

"In December 2020 he was convicted of attempting to bite an officer and he's also been convicted of spitting at two police officers.

Gemma Adams, defending, told District Judge Justin Barron the car wash worker had carried out a deplorable and abhorrent act by spitting at the shop worker.

She added: "He came to Britain in 2014 and his wife and children live in Romania.

"This conviction would indicate a drink problem brings him back before the court again.

"He's been out of trouble for two years but started drinking heavily in the summer last year."

Judge Barron also heard the reason Pisica's drinking had increased was because his football-playing nine-year-old son had died after a goal crossbar fell on his head, causing fatal injuries.

Ms Adams also told the judge Pisica had been visiting a friend in Ashford when the incident happened.

She added: "He's had difficulties coming to terms with it [his son's death], he needs therapy or counselling and he has mental health problems."

The court also heard Pisica gets paid £220 a week cash-in-hand for working at a car wash and that his drink problem involved binge drinking vodka.

Ms Adams added: "It's only occasional but he gets out of control."

Judge Barron told Pisica this was a serious offence and that he put the shop worker in fear by the physical aggression he showed.

"Shop workers, the public and police need to be protected from people who behave in this way..."

He also said by spitting in the woman's face he'd left her concerned she might catch an illness from him.

He added: "Shop workers, the public and police need to be protected from people who behave in this way.

"The situation is worse because you have behaved like this in the past."

The Judge told Pisica to address his drink problem while jailing him for eight weeks. He also ordered him to pay the shop worker £150 compensation.