A COUNTY court judge told magistrates that he swore at two police officers because he was shocked and frightened about being frogmarched out of a kebab shop.

Deputy district judge and solicitor David Messenger, 49, said he could not believe what was happening to him as he tried to help a client involved in an incident at Best Kebab in St Thomas's Street, Scarborough.

The court has heard how two officers arrested Messenger on May 2, after he arrived at the kitchen of the kebab shop as they were trying to sort out a dispute and refused to leave.

Yesterday Mr Messenger admitted he was abusive towards the officers as they put him in the back of a waiting police van. ''I was taken aback. I couldn't believe what was happening," he added.

The solicitor repeatedly denied he was drunk, saying he had only four or five pints of beer over a four hour period.

Messenger told Selby magistrates that he was acting for a client in a dispute over the ownership of the takeaway and he wanted to find out what was going on but the officers would not let him.

Messenger, of Valley Bridge Parade, Scarborough, denies being drunk and disorderly, two counts of obstructing police officers and one of causing £188 of criminal damage to a police cell call button.

Messenger agreed he told the arresting officers it was ''an unlawful arrest and it would be worth £5,000''.

Once at the police station he continued to protest about his detention, he told the magistrates.

He also admitted that he refused to give his address because he thought he had been unlawfully detained.

Messenger also agreed he made ''personal comments'' about the custody officer Sgt Tim Metcalfe.

He told the court: ''Bear in mind I had never been in that situation before.''

He also agreed that once in cell five he began banging on the door to get some attention.

Messenger said he bent back the face plate of the alarm button in the cell ''to check the wiring was correct. In view of the fact I'd been trying to get attention for quite a while, I suspected it hadn't been working''.

Giving evidence, custody officer Sgt Stuart Grainger described his night looking after Messenger saying: ''I found him one of the worst detainees I have ever had to deal with."

The trial resumes on Monday.