A DEPRESSED drunk shouted racial slurs at a store detective after he was caught shoplifting from a Worcester supermarket, Worcester magistrates heard.

Stewart Akins has been sentenced to do 120 hours unpaid work as a part of a 12-month community order with a supervision requirement for theft and racially aggravated harassment towards a security guard at the Co-op store in St John's. He pleaded guilty to both charges when he appeared in court.

Sally Cairns, prosecuting, said police officers were called to the store after hearing reports of a theft of four cans of lager at about 3pm on March 15.

"When Akins was detained by the store staff he let off a stream of racial abuse, certainly towards the security guard," she said.

"He said things like take your black hands off me' and I would rather be arrested by a white man'.

"This was certainly heard by the police officers when they arrived at the scene and they also found a bottle of wine up his sleeve."

In mitigation David Jackson said Akins had been drinking since about 10am on the day of the incident.

"Once he had sobered up he was, and still is, thoroughly ashamed and he had the good sense to plead guilty to this matter," he said, and added Akins suffers from depression and used to turn to class A drugs.

"He's been clean since May 2006. It's a considerable achievement by him but eh obviously replaced that substance with alcohol for some time until he weaned himself off it."

However, Mr Jackson said Akins has not had an alcoholic drink since the FA Cup final, has been attending alcohol counselling sessions, as well as anger management classes.

The city's magistrates also ordered Akins to pay £100 compensation to the security guard he racially abused and was ordered to pay £60 court costs.