A homophobic menace whose mini-crime wave landed him behind bars threatened to burgle the judge who jailed him.

“If I ever find out where you live I’m going to come around and burgle your house,” Christopher Tweed, of Chatham, shouted from the dock.

His outburst came after Canterbury Crown Court judge Rupert Lowe locked up the 35-year-old “public menace” for a string offences.

Tweed was arrested in possession of a blade in Stembrook, Dover, when he declared he had Covid and spat at PCs Doble and Gilbert.

Tweed, who has 148 previous convictions, also unleashed a tirade of derogatory homophobic abuse towards the officers and spat at the inside of the police vehicle, in April 2020.

Shortly after his release, Tweed and another harassed Abby Jones at her workplace in Boots, Biggin Street, Dover.

Miss Jones was left “shaking with fear” after Tweed told her “I want to smash your face in,” the prosecution said.

The same afternoon in May he harassed Miss Jones in the town’s Morrisons supermarket in Bridge Street.

Days later, a pub landlord in St James Street, Dover, asked Tweed and a co-defendant to leave after alleged anti-social behaviour.

But the pair ignored Stuart Fox's request and instead lightly jabbed him using homophic language, the court heard.

In February last year, Tweed was arrested for damaging a glass door at St Pancras Station in London, before telling officers he wanted to be housed in one of the capital’s prisons.

Tweed interrupted the proceedings to protest against the prosecution’s account, and again to announce he wished to continue offending.

His protests triggered an unusual trade off with the judge.

“I will come out (of prison) and do exactly the same thing,” he said.

“I’m sorry that this is the attitude that you take,” Judge Lowe replied.

“If I ever find out where you live I’m going to come around and burgle your house,” Tweed responded.

“You may go down (to the cells), thank you,” said Judge Lowe.

'Every day I live in fear of passing the virus to my wife, who has asthma, and child at home. Spitting is disgusting...'

Moments before, the judge praised Tweed for trying to turn his life around in prison before handing down a custodial term of two years and nine months.

“I’m sorry to say that up until you were remanded in custody in February you were out of control and you were a public menace.

“And you have been out of control for the majority of your adult life.”

Judge Lowe also handed Tweed a seven year restraining order.

PC Gilbert lifted the lid on the mental pressures officers face during the pandemic.

"Every day I live in fear of passing the virus to my wife, who has asthma, and child at home.

"Spitting is disgusting," he said.

PC Doble added: "Although I'm not homosexual I found the term offensive, I'm not insulted if he thinks I'm homosexual.

"But I am insulted by his malice towards people who are homosexual."

Miss Jones told the court she feels "scared to go anywhere on my own" and felt "harassed and intimidated."

Mr Fox said he was left "scared to approach people who are in the wrong even when it is in my own property."

Phil Rowley, mitigating, said Tweed had been held in custody for almost a year where he had made progress battling a drug problem.

Tweed, formerly of Church Hill, Chatham, had made plans to relocate to Ashford in the future after having suffered “complete lack of structure in living arrangements,” Mr Rowley added.

Time spent on remand will be deducted from his custodial sentence.