A HOMELESS man who made a habit of abusing shoppers assaulted a member of the security team who was moving him away from a shopping centre.

Blackburn magistrates heard Daniel Norbert Nelson was arrested at Pendle Rise shopping centre in Nelson and while he was being fingerprinted at Blackburn police station assaulted a detention officer.

Nelson, 36, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to assaulting Qasar Ali and a female detention officer. He was jailed for a total of 14 weeks after the court heard the offences put him in breach of a suspended prison sentence.

Parveen Akhtar, prosecuting, said Mr Ali was monitoring CCTV at the shopping centre when he saw Nelson outside Wilkinsons.

“He knew the defendant had been given numerous warnings about standing outside the shopping centre and abusing members of the public,” said Miss Akhtar.

“Mr Ali asked him to leave and he became abusive before punching him in the face twice.”

Miss Akhtar said that at the police station Nelson raised his fist and tried to hit the detention officer but she was able to grip his arm and prevent the blow from landing.

Aftab Bakhat, defending, saidK “All I have learned is that he was made homeless seven years ago and has been in custody,” said Mr Bakhat.