A former Benefits Agency worker made a bizarre attempt to blackmail a supermarket – by threatening to poison food.

Jobless David Coates, 56, walked into Sainsbury's at Westwood Cross in Broadstairs and demanded to speak to boss Julie Clarke privately.

Then he told her menacingly: "I need you to listen carefully. There are two people in the store with a box of syringes filled with arsenic.

"You have 15 minutes to fill this bag with money or they will start injecting food!"

But Canterbury Crown Court was told there was no evidence anyone else was involved – and no arsenic nor syringes were ever found.

Coates, of Reading Street, Broadstairs, was given a 12-month sentence - suspended for a year - after admitting the offence that happened in January.

Prosecutor Jim Harvey said: "Coates went into the store and told a member of staff: 'I need to speak to a manager' and insists he speak to them in private.

"He spoke to Julie Clarke and once he gets into the office, he then made the threat that there were others with arsenic-filled syringes in the store and demanded she fill a bag with cash.

"He then said to her: 'There is to be no abnormal activity and the police are not to be called or there will be trouble!'"

He said Coates then added: "They (the alleged two gang members) will be here in 15 minutes and my life is in danger. You don't understand."

But the judge heard how courageous Ms Clarke ordered the retired Benefits Agency worker from the store and called police.

Coates – who appeared at court without a barrister – was later arrested and claimed he had owed money to a loan shark and had not been able to repay the interest.

"blackmail is a serious offence, one of the most serious that you can commit as it puts fear in people" – judge heather norton

He said the syringe plan was the idea of the unnamed loan shark, but the judge and probation service "remained sceptical" of his account.

Coates took early retirement on medical grounds two years ago after "an impeccable 30 year work record" with the agency.

He did have financial problems but became embarrassed to seek benefits "having once worked there".

Coates was asked if he wanted to mitigate on his crime, but told the judge he stood by his explanation to police.

Judge Heather Norton also ordered him to do 200 hours of unpaid work for the community – and said he should receive help in finding another job.

She told him: "Your threat was untrue. You did not assault the manager or threaten her in anyway. And you left the store when you were told to.

"But blackmail is a serious offence, one of the most serious that you can commit as it puts fear in people. After this offence the manager had sleepless nights but you now full accept the impact of what you did and you now want to move out of the area.

"The probation officer who prepared a report on you and I are both sceptical about your account. I asked if you had mental health issues or drink or drugs problems but you deny it and there is no evidence that you do.

"Why you acted in the way you did is inexplicable. You suffer from stress and depression – perhaps had you sought help you wouldn’t be in this position."