Mamba user is jailed for assaulting shop worker HE ALSO STOLE BANANA AND SPAT IT OVER FRUIT STALL

A HOMELESS man “off his head” on drugs has been jailed for causing incidents in Derby city centre.

On the first occasion Rex Collis, 47, was heard shouting inside the Eagle Market, where went over to Martin’s Fruits and picked up a banana.

A court heard he bit into it and spat it out over a box of peaches and other fresh fruit on the stall.

The police were called and Collis was arrested.

He got into more trouble a few hours after being released on bail the following day.

This time he went into the Bonmarché clothing store in St Peter’s Street and asked a worker to give him “a kiss” and got into a tussle in which he scratched her arm.

At Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court, Collis was jailed for 26 weeks for the two incidents.

District Judge Jonathan Taaffe said: “These are serious matters. Shopkeepers going about their business are frankly sick and tired of having to deal with people who are off their heads on drugs.

“This must have been an extremely frightening experience for the person on the fruit stall and the lady in the shop, both confronted by someone acting erratic and aggressive.”

Peter Bettany, prosecuting, told the court the Eagle Market incident happened at around 2pm last Tuesday.

He read a statement from the victim who said Collis’s behaviour was “quite distressing”.

The court heard how he had spat the banana over other fruit valued at £7 and threw the rest of it on the floor.

The following day, Collis was released on bail at around 2.30pm. Around two hours later, he was spotted lying down outside Bonmarché.

Mr Bettany said: “A worker at the shop was asked by a member of staff to get a radio to get someone to move him (Collis) on. She called the radio for assistance. The defendant then stood up and came into the store.