A FATHER of two who swore at shop staff has appeared at Selby Magistrates’ Court.

Sandra Potter, prosecuting, told the magistrates Sean Dean Johnson, of Cockret Court, off Cockret Road in Selby, was in the B&M Bargains shop, at Three Lakes Retail Park in Bawtry Road, on April 6.

Miss Potter said: “He was seen by a member of staff hold up a pair of children’s underwear and make a joke about it. The staff member saw the underwear was out of the packet and suspected he had opened it.”

Johnson denied this, but was asked to leave.

He returned to B&M Bargains two days later with a group of friends.

The same employee was working and told her supervisor, who again asked Johnson to leave the store.

Johnson erupted in a tirade of abuse, swearing at the supervisor and saying “you had better not have called the police on me”.

But the police were called and Johnson was later arrested.

Mitigating, Liam Hassan said his client was going through a “difficult period”.

He said 22-year-old Johnson had not had a job for two years, had two young children and was separated from their mother.

He added that Johnson had lost his brother in a road accident three years ago, and that the driver of the other vehicle had been acquitted of blame, which Johnson and his family had found difficult to accept.

Giving Johnson a 12-month conditional discharge and ordering him to pay £85 court costs, Hilary Gilbertson, the chairman of the magistrates, said: “This was really very unpleasant behaviour for people working for their company and doing the best they could.

“It was very rude indeed, foul language and despite others being with you, you were charged with it.”