A drunk thug who launched a terrifying hammer attack on a driver’s van – after mistaking him for a paedophile – has narrowly avoided jail.

Ollie Adams, from Faversham, was arrested over the matter and later wrote “ha ha” on the wall of his cell with his own faeces.

He appeared before Medway magistrates in July when the court heard how the confrontation happened on April 25.

The 26-year-old had stood in the middle of a road in Faversham and shouted at the man in the white Ford Transit and refused to let him past.

As the motorist attempted to go around him, Adams punched the wing mirror on the driver’s side and completely knocked it off.

The driver ran from his vehicle in fear and took refuge at a friend’s home nearby.

But a short time later he heard some noises outside and saw Adams hitting his windscreen with a hammer.

At the time, Kyle Rogers, prosecuting, said: “After smashing the windscreen, officers found [Adams] on his push bike and he is caught.

“He is asked if he smashed up the van and he replied: ‘Yes, I did.’”

Adams was arrested and taken into custody at Medway Police Station in Gillingham.

Mr Rogers said: “In custody he urinated in the first cell and was put in a different cell and was further arrested.”

The court heard that while being transferred, Adams racially abused a female detention officer.

Mr Rogers added: “He then flooded the other cell by putting his clothes and the cell mattress in the toilet.

“Then he defecated on the floor and smeared ‘ha ha’ on the cell wall with his faeces – and also smeared it on the bed and in the [peep] hole in the cell door.”

Adams, of Lewis Close, was charged with three counts of criminal damage and one count of racially aggravated harassment and admitted all charges when he appeared in court on April 27.

The case was adjourned and Adams returned to Medway Magistrates’ Court on July 12 to be sentenced, but a full pre-sentencing report on him had not been completed in time for the hearing.

But the court heard he had previous convictions, including being jailed for 40 months for burglary.

Magistrates were also told he was embarrassed about his actions and was going through mental health difficulties at the time.

On that occasion, Adams was granted bail to return to the same court to be sentenced on September 22 when the bench decided the offence was so serious it warranted a custodial sentence, but they decided to suspend it.

Adams was given a three-month sentence, suspended for 18 months for the criminal damage to the van and the racially aggravated harassment offences.

He was also ordered to pay the van driver £200 compensation and a restraining order was granted for Adams to stay away from him for two years.

Adams was also ordered to wear an alcohol abstinence tag for 120 days and complete 15 rehabilitation sessions with probation and pay a victim surcharge of £154.

He received no separate penalties for the damage he did to the cells, but was ordered to pay £160 to Kent Police for the cost of the deep cleaning of both.