A Maidstone man had to be restrained by customers after hurling drunken abuse at shoppers and police officers in a busy supermarket.

Community-spirited shoppers at Morrisons pinned abusive John Stevens to a chair until police arrived to arrest the 25-year-old.

Stevens, of Highland Road, Shepway, pleaded guilty to threatening and abusive behaviour at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court.

The drunken father-of-one shouted and swore at shoppers in the Sutton Road store.

He was then restrained until police officers arrived and proceeded to accuse one of being a paedophile and threatening to rape him.

He was arrested following the incident at 3.30pm on Sunday, March 15, and while in custody continued his tirade of abuse.

The court heard how Stevens, who has a long list of convictions for similar offences, had consumed a whole bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey beforehand and after sobering up had sincerely apologised for his actions.

Magistrates adjourned the case until April 24 for a pre-sentence report after hearing Stevens has two active conditional discharges imposed by courts in Newcastle following criminal damage committed in August and breaching a restraining order earlier this month.

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