A SUCCESSFUL businessman who became addicted to legal highs has been jailed after pulling a blade on a security guard who caught him stealing a sandwich.

Peter Cunliffe, 46, risked losing his business as his addiction to psychoactive substances spiralled out of control.

Since taking the drug Spice, Cunliffe has had to hand over his responsibilities to others as his addiction saw him descend into a life of crime.

Now he is starting a 12 month prison sentence after threatening an M&S store detective and stealing tools from B&Q.

Preston Crown Court heard Cunliffe, of School Street, Barrow, was with another man and a woman when he was caught trying to steal the sandwich on July 1.

The trio were taken to an upstairs room where Melanie Sergeant, the store detective, issued banning notices to Cunliffe’s accomplices.

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But when she asked Cunliffe to empty his pockets he produced a screwdriver and the thin blade of a handsaw.

Cunliffe claimed he used the blade in the course of his trade as an electrician.

But as Ms Sergeant picked up the blade Cunliffe grabbed it from her, telling her: “If you are calling the f****** police, I’ll give them a reason to come.”

He then asked another security guard if he could just pay for the sandwich before pointing the blade at him, telling him: “Let’s play by my f****** rules.”

The security workers were terrified and Ms Sergeant told her colleague to let Cunliffe go, as she was scared he would stab one of them.

At that point, Cunliffe laughed and threw the blade down, saying: “I shouldn’t have done that.”

The police arrived and led Cunliffe out of the store, but as he passed Ms Sergeant, he pointed his fingers at her in a gun gesture, telling her: “I’ll remember your face. Boom.”

During the incident, Cunliffe’s demeanour swung between being polite and shouting and swearing, the court heard.

On his arrest, Cunliffe was found to be carrying eight tablets of a psychoactive substance.

The court heard he had developed “a hopeless addiction” to the former legal highs.

He pleaded guilty to theft and affray in relation to the incident in M&S and shoplifting £400 of tools from B&Q.

Judge Robert Altham, sentencing, said: “Your recent history has been one of continued offending, certainly for the last couple of years and I accept that the cause of all your offending has been your addiction to legal highs and mind changing drugs.

“By and large when you are not under the influence of these drugs you are capable of behaving normally but when you are under the influence your behaviour is bizarre.

“It may be that it isn’t as bad as it appears but you accept it is bad. July 1 started with the simple theft of a sandwich - a matter which in itself isn’t serious.

“When the store detective asked you to go back to the office you did so, but as time went on your behaviour became more and more bizarre.

“They weren’t to know you probably had no intention of hurting them.

“If you have got a sharp object and are uttering nasty threats then it can happen.

“You said as much. You shouldn’t have done that. Through your befuddled state you realised you were behaving badly, although a few minutes later you were uttering threats again, even after the police arrived.

“I am prepared to accept your time in custody has taught you a lesson and brought you up sharp but that doesn’t mean I can overlook the matters which have brought you here.”