Man jailed after abusing staff at Whitby's Trenchers restaurant and assaulting six police officers

Lee Brown of no fixed address entered Trenchers on New Quay Road on Friday January 13 and started helping himself to food from behind the counter, while using abusive and threatening language.

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

Brown was immediately arrested and on his way to police custody just a few minutes following the report.

Police say that while in custody he continued to act in a volatile and abusive manner and assaulted six police officers, spitting at and urinating on them.

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

Brown was locked up for 32 weeks and ordered to pay compensation to his victims.

Det Supt 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.

"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.

“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.