A MAN has been jailed after threatening staff at a North Yorkshire restaurant.

Lee Brown, 33, of no fixed address, was sentenced on Monday (January 16) to 32 weeks in prison after being abusive and threatening towards staff at a Whitby restaurant.

York Magistrate's Court heard how at about 5pm on Friday (January 13), Brown entered Trenchers restaurant and started helping himself to food from behind the counter, while using abusive and threatening language.

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Police were called by restaurant staff and concerned customers who at first thought a robbery was taking place.

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Brown was immediately arrested and on his way to police custody just a few minutes following the report. While in custody he continued to act in a volatile and abusive manner and assaulted six police officers.

He was charged with theft of food, using threatening and abusive language with the intent to cause fear and six charges of assaulting an emergency worker.

He was remanded in custody until his appearance at court where he pleaded guilty to all the charges and was handed a 32-week prison sentence and ordered to pay compensation to his victims.

Detective Superintendent Graeme Wright, Commander for Scarborough and Ryedale said: “This was a really upsetting and alarming incident for the staff and customers of the restaurant to witness on a Sunday afternoon in Whitby. I’d like to thank them for their swift action reporting it to police, which enabled officers to attend and quickly make the situation safe by arresting Brown.

“Sadly when taken to the police station, Brown continued to act in a volatile and abusive manner and went on to assault a number of officers as they carried out their duties ensuring he was safe when in custody – spitting and urinating on them when they conducted safety checks.

“I hope the speed with which Brown has been dealt with and put behind bars sends a clear message that we will not tolerate any threats or acts of violence against members of the public or the dedicated officers who work so hard to keep our community safe.”