A MAN who lost his temper after being told he was to be suspended went on to try and "run over" his former colleagues with a forklift truck, a court heard.

Jake Sharpe, of Dee View Road in Connah's Quay, appeared at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Tuesday afternoon.

The 26-year-old had pleaded guilty on the day of his trial to one offence of common assault - which he committed against Zdenek Malir at Iceland Foods in Second Avenue, Deeside.

Prosecutor Justin Espie told the court that on April 21 last year, police were called to Iceland following reports of a male "trying to run over staff [while] driving a forklift truck."

Officers spotted him from time to time, driving around a freezer unit.

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He eventually stopped and handed himself in.

It turned out there had been a meeting with Sharp in which he was told he was to be suspended, to which he replied: "You can f*** off, you'll have to get police here to remove me."

He than took to the forklift and proceeded to drive it around.

Staff - including the victim - felt frightened as he made "no attempt to slow down" and when passing then he stuck his middle finger up and told them to "f*** off."

Probation officer Pamela Roberts told the court: "The offence was committed after a long-running dispute with his manager.

"He'd worked at Iceland for four years before the incident, and had been demoted."

Ms Roberts said the meeting at which the defendant had been suspended was called because of the way he'd conducted the repair of another forklift truck.

She added: "He claims he had no intention of striking the victim with the truck and that he used the horn to get the victims to move out of the way.

"But he accepted he was driving a two tonne truck and it could have caused serious harm."

Lorraine McClure, defending, said her client had experienced "some struggles" but that he remains "determined to turn his life around."

She added: "He says he wants to make reparations and move forward with his life."

Deputy District Judge John Rowan said: "You clearly lost your temper and weren't thinking straight.

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"[You] used that forklift to almost injure someone - that could have caused very serious harm. It could have been fatal.

"It appears to be a revenge attack significantly aggravated by your record for violence."

The Deputy District Judge handed down a 12 week custodial sentence, but suspended it for 12 months.

He also ordered Sharpe to undertake 90 hours of unpaid work and a thinking skills programme, telling him: "That's what this is all about, thinking. Thinking before you try and run someone over with a forklift."

The defendant was also ordered to pay £200 compensation, a £128 victim surcharge and £200 costs.