A MAN who stole a joint of pork from Tesco in Devizes and then assaulted two male members of staff who tried to detain him has been ordered to pay each victim £50.

Jason Smith, 24, of Patchway, Devizes, was convicted of a string of offences by Kennet magistrates in February.

The offences were so serious that magistrates had asked the Probation Service for an all-options pre-sentence report, including the possibility of sending Smith to jail.

He had pleaded guilty to motoring offences including failing to stop after an accident, having no insurance and driving while disqualified.

He also admitted failing to provide a specimen of breath when asked to do so by a police officer.

His case was adjourned until Monday at Andover Magistrates' Court, which has facilities to take offenders into custody. The incident at Tesco dated from February 13 2003 when staff members Matthew King and Philip Godwin attempted to stop Smith escaping with the piece of pork valued at £4.77.

As well as assaulting the two men, Smith caused £100 damage to the bonnet of a car he jumped on as he tried to escape.

He was given a community punishment and rehabilitation order running for 12 months with 70 hours of community work. He was banned from driving for three years for refusing to give a specimen and given concurrent bans of shorter periods for driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

He was ordered to pay £100 compensation to the owner of the car and £50 each to Mr King and Mr Godwin.

There was no separate penalty for the other offences.