Watch: This is the moment a 'disgusting' Havant shoplifter spits at police when being restrained

Prolific thief Martin Nobes, 40, targeted a number of shops during a six-month spree between June 4 and December 9 last year. It resulted in him stealing a total of £3,332.09, while committing 21 offences of shoplifting. He was jailed for 86 weeks at Portsmouth Crown Court earlier this month, as reported in The News.

The addict, who has been taking heroin for more than 25 years, selected stores in Havant, Waterlooville and Emsworth he felt were ripe for the picking before ‘brazenly’ helping himself to a variety of goods. The shops raided included Next, Co-op, Hobbycraft, Game, Lidl and Wilko.

READ NOW: CCTV images released over burglary

Prosecutor Martyn Booth said: ‘He repeatedly targeted certain stores. The defendant would brazenly walk into stores where he was very well known and banned from and would select what he wanted and then walk out in plain view of people in the stores.’

Nobes was also convicted for assaulting an emergency worker when he spat at an officer at Emsworth train station – as shown in the video. In the clip, Nobes is told not to spit by officers who warn him they will put a hood over his head if he does. This prompts an incredulous Nobes into launching a passionate defence of his innocence. ‘Why are you saying I’m spitting? I’m not spitting,’ he tells officers, before adding: ‘I’ve done nothing. You’ve attacked me for no reason.’

But then, with the situation seemingly under control, Nobes lets loose with a sudden volley of spit that lands on one of the officers’ boots. The three officers are then forced to push Nobes head toward the floor. ‘Right that’s it, put the hood on,’ one officer says.

During his recent sentence hearing, Nobes, of Stroudwood Road, Havant, also launched into a racist tirade at a security guard outside Iceland in Leigh Park on June 4 after he was caught stealing Marmite and meat. ‘(The guard) followed (Nobes) out of the store and as he went to get on his bike the security guard grabbed the bike to stop the defendant escaping,’ Mr Booth said.

After dropping the goods, Nobes then unleashed a ‘disgusting’ volley of racial slurs towards the worker, resulting in a conviction for racially aggravated behaviour. ‘There were other people there including children who heard the abuse. (The guard) felt embarrassed. (The abuse) was designed to offend him,’ Mr Booth said.

One witness described the racist abuse - delivered at the ‘top of his voice’ - as ‘disgusting and vile’. In one of the comments, Nobes told the victim to ‘go back to his own country’ and warned the man he would ‘slash you up’. Judge Richard Shepherd said there was a ‘fear of serious violence’ taking place.

Nobes also breached two conditional discharges on January 19 and 21 at Boots and Superdrug in Havant. On the first of those occasions, Nobes told a member of staff who had been monitoring him: ‘If I want to nick it, there’s nothing you can do about it.’ Nobes then punched his fist into his palm leaving the woman ‘fearing he would punch her’.

SEE ALSO: Woman seriously injured