Jack Johnson caused chaos in two Tesco stores, spitting at staff, throwing punches and kicking groceries off shelves
08:58, 25 Jul 2026
The first two incidents happened at the Tesco Express in Leicester Road, Loughborough(Image: Google Street View)
A young shoplifter punched and spat at police and Tesco staff during three violent incidents at branches of the supermarket in Loughborough.
Jack Johnson, who had recently been kicked out by his girlfriend due to his drinking and drug use, walked into the Leicester Road Tesco Express on Friday, April 17, grabbed two packs of beer and tried to leave without paying.
A security guard following him was punched by Johnson, 21, who walked off with the beers but then returned to confront the staff once again.
Leicestershire Police arrived and footage caught on their body cams showed him threatening to kill them, spitting at people and knocking things off shelves with his feet while high on drugs. More officers had to be called to help control him.
He was arrested, taken to a police station and then released. The next morning he returned to the same store.
At 9.30am on Saturday, April 18, he tried to steal more beer and, again, got into a scuffle with security staff in the shop, who took him to the floor. He begged to be released and promised he would leave if they let him go.
They let him get up but instead of walking out he went to fetch some beers, left the shop without paying, then walked back and swung two punches at one of the security guards who had been restraining him earlier.
He then walked out onto Leicester Road, stood in traffic and when a van driver told him to move he smashed the vehicle’s wing mirror, breaking it, shouting, “come on, then,” while punching the car window. The motorist drove away.
In nearby Barrow Street he was again in the middle of the road, stopping traffic. He blocked the path of a young man driving with his dad and, when asked to move, he ripped a windscreen wiper off the car and hit the windscreen with enough force to smash it.
When the police arrived he was a short distance away in Pinfold Gate and he punched a police officer in the face when he tried to arrest him. There was another struggle, caught on body cam, in which Johnson was wrestled to the ground by about six officers.
Johnson, who had his T-shirt up over his mouth and nose, complained he couldn’t breathe. A male officer removed the T-shirt from his face while warning his colleagues that Johnson was “a spitter”.
As soon as the T-shirt was off his face, Johnson started spitting at the officers, who put him in leg straps and bundled him into a police van.
He was taken to a police station and then released on bail again. This time he stayed out of trouble for more than a week.
On Sunday, April 26, he tried to walk into the larger Tesco store in The Rushes, Loughborough, and a female security guard tried to grab his arm after recognising him. He pulled away and got into the store but a male security guard then stopped him and pushed him back outside where Johnson punched him to the ground and stamped on his face.
Once again, Leicestershire Police arrived and, once again, he resisted arrest and spat at them. They got him into a police van where he racially abused a black officer and kicked another in the leg.
Johnson, of no fixed address, appeared at Leicester Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday (July 23) having admitted a string of offences. He already had numerous previous convictions for battery, assaulting emergency workers and witness intimidation.
For the April offences he pleaded guilty to six counts of assaulting a constable, two of racially aggravated harassment, one of making threats with intent to cause fear of violence, two of assault by beating, one of assault by beating of an emergency worker, one of theft and two of criminal damage to vehicles.
James Varley, representing Johnson, said his client – who had been behind bars on remand for nearly three months – needed to stay behind bars to get help but asked Judge Timothy Spencer KC to keep the inevitable sentence as short as possible.
He said: “He’s homeless, having been thrown out by his girlfriend. He drinks. He was stealing to drink.”
Judge Spencer added that Johnson had also been smoking mamba and taking cocaine and heroin, according to his pre-sentence report.
Mr Varley said: “He has fallen so fast through the cracks he must have felt there was no return.
“When in drink he is deeply unpleasant but when sober he is surprisingly and depressingly expressive, intelligent and pleasant to be with.”
He said that Johnson’s ex-girlfriend had given birth to his first child a week before the sentencing hearing, adding: “He is determined not to let the actions on those days define the rest of his life.”
Judge Spencer told Johnson it was clear from his reaction when the footage was played in court that he was ashamed of what he had done.
He said: “You couldn’t stop yourself, it seems to me. You had split up with your partner. She had thrown you out – and you can’t blame her.
“You were drinking 30 cans of alcohol a day, on top of mamba, crack and heroin.
“It’s outrageous, your behaviour. I think you now acknowledge how unacceptable it was.”
He jailed Johnson for two years and three months.
