Boozy man assaults staff after store denies him cider

A shop worker has been assaulted and the store damaged after a man in intoxicated state went on a rampage for denying him alcohol.

The incident happened at One Stop store on Horton Road, East Dorset on 6 May.

The offender, who appeared to be intoxicated, entered the store at around 7.25pm and picked three bottles of cider. However, the staff told him that they could not sell him the alcohol as per store policy.

The man then turned aggressive, accusing a member of staff of stealing his bank card. As he attempted to enter the area behind the tills, the staff locked the entrance to the till area and activated the store’s panic button.

This prompted the man to leave the store, taking the three bottles of cider with him without paying. He, however, returned to the store after placing the bottles on the ground in the car park.

Seeing this, a male staff member sprang to the door to close it, but the offender ran toward it, causing the glass to break and the door to hit the victim in the face.

The man didn’t stop there, as he grabbed the shop worker by the hair. However, he lost his grip, and the victim managed to close the door. The offender then walked away from the scene with the bottles.

Kate Hann, police community support investigator of East Dorset police, said: “We have made efforts to identify the offender but these have so far been unsuccessful.

“As part of my enquiries I have now obtained CCTV images of a man I would like to speak to. If you recognise him from the images, please get in touch.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email [email protected] or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55200064169. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.