A grocery store worker was left ‘fearing for his own safety’ after a prolific criminal threatened him with an axe.

Kyle Cook entered Nagyal fruit and veg on Blackburn Road in Accrington waving the ‘substantial weapon’ at Mohammed Saleem after he refused to hand over a parcel as it ‘wasn’t addressed to him’.

Cook, who was living in a flat above the shop at the time of the incident, then went back to fetch the axe before returning to the shop shouting ‘get out behind your counter, I’ll ******* do you’.

After being arrested by the police, Cook ‘continually spat all over the inside of the police van’ and repeatedly shouted the racist word ‘****’ and the words ‘I should have hit him with the axe’

Cook, who has 25 previous convictions for 50 offences including two offences of possessing a bladed article in a public place, pleaded guilty to affray and criminal damage. He was jailed for 12 months.

Sara Dodd, prosecuting, told the court how the incident happened in December 2013 after Cook showed Mr Saleem a slip of paper indicating he had a package and said ‘where’s my parcel?’

Miss Dodd said Mr Saleem refused to hand it over because ‘it wasn’t addressed to the defendant’ and he became ‘angry and aggressive’ and saying ‘I’m going to get you’.

The court heard how ‘fearful’ Mr Saleem pushed Cook away, but he then returned a few minutes later ‘waving’ the axe around and shouting ‘it’s my parcel’. Miss Dodd said Cook was later arrested at his flat and put into a police van.

She said: “On the way to the police station the defendant was continually spitting all over the inside of the van. He was heard to shout repeatedly the word ‘****’ and saying things like ‘I should have hit him with the axe’.”

Philip Boyd, defending, said: “He clearly has an anger management problem and a loss of self-control and those difficulties are probably caused by his use of cannabis.”

Judge Simon Newell said there ‘has to be a custodialsentence’.

He said: “It was quite a substantial weapon and, when faced with someone who’s irate and waving that about and being abusive, it’s no wonder the man in question feared for his own safety.

“It isn’t the first time that you have been in possession of a bladed weapon and there are other offences of violence and public order.”