AN AGGRESSIVE crook stole three bottles of wine before kicking open a charity’s door and threatening a police officer with a concrete block.

Daniel Utton was going through a “nervous breakdown” when he stole the alcohol and acted violently on the streets of Southend,

The 30-year-old, of Hastings Road, Southend, stole the wine from a corner shop in the morning before damaging the door belonging to a property run by Harp, Southend’s Homeless Charity, resulting in the police being called.

Utton then started goading the officers before arming himself with the concrete block.

Southend Crown Court heard Utton claimed he was threatening to use the block on himself and not the officer, but it still led police to be concerned for their safety.

Prosecuting, Matthew Bagnall said: “On March 30 at around 9.30am the defendant entered a corner shop on York Road, Southend, picked up three bottles of wine worth £20 and left without paying. Another man waited outside the shop.

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“Ten minutes later they both attended an address in Hastings Road, this was an address owned by Harp and has a magnetic front door.

“He walked up and kicked it where the bottom magnetic lock was located and the door was opened.

“As a result the police were called.

“They found him on York Road at the junction with Hastings Road, where they [Utton and the other man] became verbally abusive towards them.

“He [Utton] said ‘come near me, I dare you’ and held a concrete block over his head, meaning police thought they were going to attack.”

Utton was arrested and later charged with theft, criminal damage and a public order offence, which he later admitted.

The court also heard that Utton had previously burgled a home in Hockley in 2018 where jewellery was stolen, which he was given a suspended sentence for in 2019.

Mitigating, Madeleine Deasy said: “He really struggled, had a nervous breakdown and lost it.

“It’s his suggestion he would have hit himself with the concrete slab if anyone came closer.”

Ms Deasy said Utton has since secured a job with a construction firm in a bid to avoid further crimes and get on the straight and narrow.

Recorder Noel Casey jailed Utton for four months.