Jailed: Dudley shoplifter escaped shop after threatening to 'slash' staff with knife

Abid Ijaz was spotted on CCTV taking the tags from three thermostats he had picked up from displays at B&Q in Wednesbury, a judge heard.

The 42-year-old labourer tried to run away when approached by a security officer but was detained and frog marched to an office to wait for the police to arrive, Wolverhampton Crown was told.

Ijaz then pulled a Stanley knife from his back pocket and waved it in the face of the shop staff. Mr Geoffrey Dann, prosecuting, continued: "He warned that he would slash them if they did not let him out. They let him go but followed as he left and noted the registration number of the car he drove away in."

The prosecutor added: "A security officer had been monitoring film from a security camera at the store when he saw the defendant acting suspiciously. He watched him select three thermostats and put them in his basket. Then he saw the defendant walk away and start to remove the security tags from the items."

Police were already on their way to the scene and stopped the vehicle nearby. A large metal magnet capable of removing security tabs was found inside the car, the court heard.

Miss Kamalpreet Shergill, defending, claimed that Ijaz was doing work on the home of a relative of a money lender from whom he had borrowed £5,000 and could not afford the thermostats were needed for the job. She said he carried the knife for his work.

Ijaz from Caroline Street, Dudley pleaded guilty to attempted theft and possession of a knife and was jailed for 24 weeks by Recorder Stephen Thomas who told him: "It must have been terrifying for the security staff involved. Whilst they were waiting for the police to arrive, you reached for the weapon and used it by waving it around in the face of one of the security officers. You wanted to intimidate them and escape, which is what you did."