HEROIN addict Alec Davies threatened to cut the throats of shop staff after he was banned from a Worcester DIY store.

Davies was high on drugs when he went into Sainsbury's Hylton Road Homebase store.

Staff became suspicious when the 20-year-old spent some time wandering through the store, and he was taken to the manager's office where he was told he would be banned.

On leaving, jobless Davies started verbally abusing staff.

"He reacted in an aggressive fashion," Sally Hill, prosecuting, told Droitwich magistrates.

Davies repeatedly swore at the staff, she said.

"He also shouted 'I'll f****** cut your throat' at the manager and staff. It's this behaviour that threatened them. The manager said his confidence had taken a knock,'' added Miss Hill.

She said staff saw something "glinting" and likened it to an old-fashioned cut-throat razor.

"In interviews, Davies said he had taken drugs before he went to the store, where he intended to price items," she added.

He fled the scene of the Tuesday, February 27, incident before police arrived, but admitted later that he had had a Swiss-style army penknife.

Davies, of Borrowdale Drive, Warndon, Worcester, admitted threatening behaviour and possessing a bladed article without good reason.

"He has a passive nature and demeanour. This you can treat as a single occasion when he's behaved in an unpredictable fashion," said Barry Newton, defending.

He said that Davies had a string of shoplifting convictions and was currently on probation. But whenever he had previously been apprehended, he had not shown any violent behaviour.

"This is a single act of stupidity on his part," said Mr Newton.

"There's a dispute over what the bladed article was. He surrendered an army-style knife. Witnesses have also said that he didn't brandish it at them.

"He has expressed remorse, his probation order is going well and he is due to start on a drugs programme."

Davies was fined £50 for threatening behaviour, £50 for possessing a weapon and ordered to pay £100 costs.