A THUG who carried out frightening shoplifting raids at supermarkets, using a jar of mayonnaise to threaten workers at one of them, has been jailed for 15 months.

Peter Beale, a 27-year-old drug addict, and others raided some of the stores more than once.

After seeing CCTV film recorded at Somerfield in Bobbing, near Sittingbourne, a judge said: “The picture of you with that bottle of mayonnaise is one that ought to be published in local newspapers, so that people can see the fear people were put in.”

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Beale, of Playstool Close, Newington, near Sittingbourne, committed the offences between January 13 and February 1.

Beale visited the Bobbing store on two consecutive days in January. On the first, he got away with £150 worth of goods and on the second, staff locked the doors to prevent him fleeing with his second stash but when he became threatening, they let him go and he dropped £100 of goods.

It was on January 24 when he wielded the jars of mayonnaise, after staff locked the doors and called the police when they saw him taking items.

Deborah Charles, prosecuting, said he and others would go into shops with black sacks and fill them with meat and other items.

Miss Charles read out a long list of previous convictions for Beale, who admitted 11 charges of theft and one of affray.

Judge Michael Lawson QC said the only sentence was custody. He added that 107 days spent in custody would count towards the sentence.

FULL STORY IN THE SITTINGBOURNE EDITION OF THIS WEEK'S KENT MESSENGER