A homeless man who caused terrified supermarket staff to “run for their lives” as he hurled bottles of alcohol towards them because he wanted to go back to prison has got his wish after he was jailed for two years.

During the incident at Tesco in Bramford Road, Ipswich, Steven Povey picked up around seven bottles and threw them at two male shop assistants, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The two men, who received minor injuries, fled to a rear office while Povey took a packet of cigarettes from behind the counter and smoked one while waiting for police to arrest him.

Povey, 31, of no fixed address, admitted affray and burglary on March 28 and was jailed for two years.

Sentencing him, Judge Martyn Levett described the incident, which lasted 10 minutes, as “frightening”.

Matthew Carey, prosecuting, said Povey had only been released from a previous prison term eight days earlier and had committed the offences on March 28 because he wanted to return to custody.

He said Povey entered the shop at 9.20pm carrying a black holdall which he dropped to the floor. He picked up bottles which he began throwing at full force towards staff in what he described as an “unprovoked and distressing” attack.

He threw numerous bottles of alcohol at least one of which hit workers, while others smashed and showered them with glass.

One female customer ran out of the store when Povey began hurling the missiles.

At an earlier hearing, an officer was quoted as saying that staff, one of whom suffered a cut to his hand and the other was hit in the chest, had “run for their lives” to a rear office.

Lynne Shirley, for Povey, said her client was released from prison on March 20 and by March 28 he found himself homeless, cold, depressed, hungry and “at his wits end”.

“He wanted to be arrested because he couldn’t cope,” Miss Shirley said. “He does feel remorseful. He is very sorry the two staff members were scared.”