Jail for man who harassed staff in sports shop

A MAN has been jailed for 12 weeks after he harassed and assaulted staff at a Peterborough city centre sports shop on Friday (9 February).

Liam Dann, 32, of no known address, was arrested in JD Sports inside Queensgate shopping centre at about 5.40pm after being detained by security officers.

At about 4.30pm Dann entered the store and made sexual comments to a female member of staff. He left but returned about an hour later and made inappropriate comments to other female staff.

The store manager called security to remove Dann from the store which resulted in him being both racially and physically assaulted by Dann.

When police arrived Dann was arrested but became violent so was put in a spit hood after he attempted to spit at officers.

While he was being moved to custody at Thorpe Wood Police Station Dann was racially abusive to PC Mohammed Haleem and also attempted to headbutt him.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday (12 February) and pleaded guilty to charges of racially or religiously aggravated common assault, using threatening, abusive or insulting words to cause harassment, alarm or distress, assault by beating and racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress.

He was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, with an added four weeks because of the racially aggravated element. He was also ordered to pay £150 compensation to two of his victims.

PC Haleem, who arrested Dann and was assaulted by him, said: “Dann is a violent individual who has previous convictions of a similar nature.

“The staff in JD Sports were just doing their job when Dann was verbally and physically abusive to them – they should be able to go to work and not be subject to such behaviour, we will not tolerate it.”