STAFF at a village store were so fearful of the actions of a knife-carrying drunk that they locked themselves and other customers into the premises when he left.

Jonathon Gerard Falashie “put the fear of God” into those present at the Sainsbury store in Brandon, due to his unpredictable behaviour, on February 9 this year.

Durham Crown Court heard that he entered the Grove Road premises at about 5.50pm and appeared agitated and distressed.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, told the court: “He was shouting at no-one in particular and being generally aggressive.

“Members of staff asked him to leave and a customer went over to try to usher him out..”

Mr Dryden said Falashie then took a knife from his jacket pocket, saying: “Get your hands off me. Don’t touch me.”

He raised the knife above his head in a threatening manner and told the customer: “You’ll get this if you touch me.”

Falashie then returned the knife to his pocket and left.

Mr Dryden said staff closed the store doors and ushered in two girls in the foyer outside before locking the doors and alerting police.

When officers arrived they were able to trace Falashie to his mother’s address in Brandon, where they found him heavily under the influence of drink on the settee, with the knife discarded on the floor nearby.

He was arrested and was abusive and aggressive to the officers as he was taken to a police station.

When interviewed he denied the offence and said he had been drunk for three days before the incident, having also taken class C drugs.

He told the officers he was an alcoholic, but did not believe he would have behaved ikn the manner alleged.

Falashie, 49, from Manchester, but who was staying in Brandon at the time, denied affray and possessing a bladed article in public. But, after three witnesses, customers and store staff, gave evidence at his trial in July, expressing how fearful they were during the incident, he changed his pleas to guilty.

Psychiatric and background probation reports were drawn up for his sentencing hearing.

Representing himself, the trained electrician apologised to those he had frightened and blamed his action on drink, but vowed to tackle his demons on release.

Jailing him for 26 months and two weeks, Judge Jonathon Carroll told Falashie he appeared to have struggled to come to terms with the fear he had caused.

The judge also issued a restraining order, prohibiting him from entering the store for five years.