A MAN was thrown out of a Worcester City Council office after he began shouting at a member of staff trying to help him, an appeal hearing was told.

Kess Lewis had gone to the customer services centre in Farrier Street to complain about a faulty boiler in his rented flat.

No one was immediately available to deal with the problem, so Vanessa Gunnings suggested that she would write an e-mail on her screen for an officer to visit Lewis's home in Teme Road, Worcester.

She told Worcester Crown Court that 38-year-old Lewis became intimidating, began trying to look at her monitor and started shouting.

"He was causing a disturbance so that people around us couldn't work," she said. "I was concerned it could escalate and get nasty."

Miss Gunnings, a customer services advisor, ended her interview with Lewis and walked away.

Security guard Jorge Paduam and a colleague, who jumped over a counter to help, then grabbed Lewis and threw him out.

Recorder Denis Desmond was shown a CCTV recording of the incident.

Lewis was convicted by Worcester magistrates of threatening behaviour.

He is appealing against his conviction and sentence.

Lewis rented privately but the council can serve enforcement notices on private landlords for repair work to be done.

Miss Gunnings said she was at work on January 20 last year when Lewis came in to complain.

She knew him from previous complaints and at first he was normal. But he began raising his voice after becoming dissatisfied with her e-mail. He started trying to dictate its content.

She said: "He was demanding inappropriate words and thought I wasn't listening to him. He got himself into a state and intruded into my space. I knew he was a difficult customer but I was shocked. I'm not going to be shouted at and told my job."

Mr Paduam heard a commotion and came over in a bid to calm Lewis down.

"He was being aggressive in gestures and words," he said. "He was being disrespectful."

Mr Paduam said after he felt an abrupt movement towards his face he took the decision to throw Lewis out.

During the scuffle, his tie was pulled off, his jumper ripped, his face scratched and he felt kicks land on him. Outside, Lewis complained that he had been assaulted. Both Lewis and council staff called police.

The appeal continues.