A SCAFFOLDER swung a fire extinguisher and grabbed a policeman’s baton during a fracas at a supermarket.

Nathan Boughton was at the Lidl store in Eastern Road in Brighton on June 25 when staff spotted him attempting to leave without paying for meat.

When challenged, he grabbed the fire extinguisher before the police were called.

During chaotic scenes in front of other shoppers, two police officers arrived, but along with two store detectives they were unable to subdue him.

The officers tried to use spray against him, but ended up nearly blinding themselves, while 31-year-old Boughton grabbed a baton off one of them.

It was only when they threatened to Taser him that he gave up.

Then, when officers searched him, they found him in possession of a knuckle duster.

Boughton, a recovering drug addict, had relapsed days before the incident. He was given a suspended prison sentence and told to clean up his act when he appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court.

Rio Pahlavanpour, prosecuting, said the incident was “chaotic” and said Boughton had 17 previous convictions for 31 offences.

He said: “Boughton was seen to select various products then leave without paying.

“As he resisted store detectives, he took a fire extinguisher and waved it around.

“Police were called and tried to arrest him, and a struggle ensued. He took a police baton and attempted to strike one of the officers.”

Special Constable Luke Harris said: “I genuinely feared for the safety of my fellow PC, store staff, and members of the public in the vicinity.

“It was a highly stressful situation, and his behaviour posed a high risk of injury to anyone nearby.”

Boughton has been in rehabilitation at Egremont Place in Brighton after being a heroin addict for more than a decade.

Oliver Mackrell, defending, said his client had tried to turn his life around since leaving prison in November last year.

Boughton has been in and out of prison for the past ten years, Mr Mackrell said.

Boughton has recently secured work as a scaffolder and had a meaningful relationship for the first time in his life. But it broke down, causing him to relapse.

Mr Mackrell said Boughton has made “extremely significant strides” towards recovery, with staff at Pavilions praising his commitment and motivation.

He had grown up in a “horrific” household with domestic violence and drug use but now he wanted to put those days behind him.

“His recollection of the incident is vague.

“He didn’t intend to hurt anyone, but clearly things escalated out of control,” Mr Mackrell said.

Magistrates considered his situation and decided to impose a prison sentence of 11 months, suspended for the next two years.

It means if Boughton commits another crime and appears in court, he is likely to be sent to prison.

He was also ordered to complete six months of drug rehabilitation within the next year and put

under curfew for three months.