An Isle of Wight man has been jailed for attacking a security guard after being caught attempting to urinate outside a Morrisons supermarket while ‘blackout’ drunk.

Joshua James Hunt of Green Street, Ryde, attended the IW Magistrates’ Court on Friday, September 20, for sentencing. 

The 28-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to three charges – common assault, theft from a shop, and using threatening, abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment alarm or distress.

Hunt attended his sentencing after failing to complete a pre-sentence report.

Lauren McConnell, prosecuting, said Hunt was outside Morrisons in Newport at 2.30pm on May 23.

He was witnessed by a shopper undoing his trousers as if he was going to urinate. The shopper, who was with her four-year-old child, saw Hunt’s genitalia and shouted at him to “put it away!” alerting a Morrisons security guard who asked Hunt if it was appropriate.

Hunt pushed the guard and tried to punch him, missing his first but then connecting with his face before continuing to swing punches, said Ms McConnell.

The guard, who suffered significant facial injuries and was dripping with blood, was able to take Hunt to the ground and restrain him until police arrived, magistrates were told.

Police searched Hunt’s bag and found £20.78 worth of meat from Sainsbury’s, which, after reviewing CCTV, discovered had been stolen.

Ms McConnell said Hunt admitted to officers that he had been drinking all day and was ‘blackout’ drunk.

In 2022, Hunt was handed a suspended sentence for battery and intentional strangulation and was later imprisoned due to breaching a restraining order said Ms McConnell.

Nick Muir, defending, said his client has no memory of the supermarket incident due to his intoxication.

Mr Muir said Hunt got “more intoxicated than he usually would” and he had “taken Valium” after he was told he was not able to see his child anymore.

The lack of compliance with a probation pre-sentence report demonstrated a community order would not be a suitable sentence, court heard from probation.

Magistrates handed Hunt an eight-week prison sentence and ordered him to pay £150 compensation to his assault victim.