Jailed: Man hit shopper with axe in fight at Telford supermarket

Neil Shevlin claimed he got involved in a fight with the man inside Asda’s Donnington Wood store, because a racist remark was made to him.

Footage from security cameras played at Shrewsbury Crown Court showed the 25-year-old scuffling in the aisles with the victim.

Shevlin, who the court was told was from the ‘travelling fraternity’, is then seen leaving the shop and going to his flatbed van outside and returning wielding the axe.

Miss Fiona Cortese, prosecuting, said it happened in the early hours of October 20 last year.

She said that when a staff member spoke to him to tell him to stop, the defendant raised the axe towards him so he moved away.

“He then struck the complainant on his back with the axe," she said.

"It’s not clear what happened to the gentleman, who then picked something up from one of the shelves and threw it at the defendant. Shevlin then returns to his van.”

Shevlin, of Bridgnorth Road, Norton, Shfinal, admitted offences of affray and possession of an offensive weapon at a previous hearing.

Paul Smith, mitigating, told the hearing that Shevlin later returned to the store to apologise to the staff for his behaviour.

Shevlin has previous convictions for possession of cocaine with intent to supply for which he was jailed for 12 months, suspended for 18 months, in 2016.

He was convicted of going equipped for burglary in May 2017 when he was jailed for four months suspended for 12 months.

Shevlin was in breach of that sentence by committing the latest offences in Asda.

For possession of the axe Judge Peter Barrie jailed him for four months for affray, with two months to be served concurrently.

He also re-sentenced Shevlin for the suspended matters.

For possession of cocaine and for going equipped he was jailed for two months on each charge to be served consecutively to the latest crime. He must serve half the term before being released on licence.