Worksop man went on drunken crime spree after partner kicked him out of their home

Josh Button used a stone to smash the window of a Vauxhall Corsa on Grafton Street, on October 18, but was spotted by a neighbour who saw him trying to interfere with the steering column's plastic case.

When Button was asked what he was doing he claimed he'd paid £700 for the car, but the Corsa's owner restrained him until police arrived and found him in possession of drill bits, allen keys and a screwdriver.

A police officer found him asleep in the shed on March 17, but when he awoke he became argumentative and shouted for the officer to leave.

Button slammed the outhouse door shut on the ring and middle fingers of the officer's left hand.

He later kicked an officer’s leg when he was taken to hospital with dried blood on his head.

He also stole £30 xbox controller and three bottles of lager from B&M Bargains on August 29.

When he was searched by police on September 6, a black-handled knife was found in his sock.

Benn Robinson, mitigating, said Button, a father-of-two, had been signed off from work because of depression.

"Over and above his mental health he is dogged by alcohol,” he said. “He and his partner weren't getting along.

"He was street homeless at the time. Hence the knife in his sock and the desperate shop thefts.

"The penny dropped when his children started to distance themselves from him. Social services say things are tickety-boo at home now.”

He has stopped drinking and re-established his relationships, added Mr Robinson.

Button, aged 27, of Queen Elizabeth Crescent, Worksop, admitted assaulting an emergency worker, possession of a knife, attempted theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of theft, and breaching a court order at previous hearings.

On Wednesday, Judge Tina Dempster sentenced him to 12 months, suspended for two years, with a 26-day programme, 20 rehabilitation days and a 120-day alcohol abstinence and monitoring requirement.