Dad sprayed sanitiser in face of girl, 7, at Tesco during rampage against staff

A father has been jailed after he grabbed sanitising fluid being used to clean shopping trolleys and sprayed it at people.

Among Adam Waring’s victims was a seven-year-old girl who was shopping at Tesco in Salford when she was hit in the face by the liquid.

He shouted ‘dont you try and take this f**king bottle off me – they’ve got chemicals’ before going to a Subway next door where he smashed a table before being arrested.

At least four people were hit with the spray, with some suffering skin irritation.

Shop manager Curtis Steele said: ‘I do not come into work to be assaulted and was shocked by this incident. I was scared and unsure what exactly was in the bottle.

‘I thought it was cleaning fluid but I was concerned how much it stung and an optician had to clean my eye.’

Waring, 31, was jailed for 16 months for affray, common assault and criminal damage at Manchester Crown Court.

A judge was told that Waring was high at the time of the incident in October.

Prosecutor John Richards said: ‘Susan Purnell was working at the tills when she heard a customer say “do not spray me with that”.

‘She asked him for the bottle and he said ‘I will give it to you’ but then sprayed it at her, hitting the right side of her face and neck.

‘Other members of staff came to help but the defendant was shouting and swearing. She had no visible injuries apart from irritation to her skin.

‘Manager Matthew Dolby went to the shop floor, saw the defendant with the bottle and confronted him. The defendant was shouting saying “I’m going to smash faces in” and said the bottle contained chemicals.

‘A seven-year-old girl was nearby, and the defendant was asked to leave the store. He argued with Ms Purnell when she asked for the bottle.

‘Another manager Curtis Steele heard the defendant say “don’t you try and take this f***kng bottle off me” and then sprayed him with it, hitting him in the eye and it immediately started to sting. The defendant was told to leave but he
struck another member of staff across the face causing injury.

‘Stephen Howarth was then sprayed on the back of his head, and it got into his eyes. The father of the seven-year-old girl heard the defendant shout “chemicals” and “I will f**king do you” before hitting his daughter in the eye. Fortunately, she suffered no injuries and the defendant left for a Subway.

‘The Subway waitress had been told a member of the public was causing trouble and didn’t want to serve him. She told the defendant he was not making sense but he replied “why don’t you f**k off?”.

‘He then picked up a table and threw it at the glass counter. The defendant needed to be removed from the shop as staff were frightened. An off-duty police officer happened to be in the store and got the defendant to the floor before
officers in uniform could arrest him.

‘They later told police they were worried, felt threatened and thought they could be assaulted, adding they were resentful towards the defendant for behaving in this way for no reason.

‘When interviewed by police the defendant said he did not remember much of what happened and showed remorse when CCTV of the incident was played.

‘He referred to his behaviour as disgusting and the interviewing officer said his remorse appeared genuine.’

Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Jason McAdam told Waring: ‘You committed this offence in front of children and frontline workers who often earn low wages. This behaviour was frightening and terrifying for them and this must have been
for them and you behaved in a way consistent with madness.

‘While no doubt something awful happened in your life just resorting to the bottle or snorting something up your nose is only going to lead to you repeating this behaviour. ‘

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