A dad has narrowly avoided jail for a string of offences committed while boozing to get over his brother’s death.

Julian Peel, 31, of Cumberland Street, pleaded guilty to assaulting a security guard, damaging a prison cell and stealing lead from two people in Macclesfield.

Macclesfield magistrates heard the spate of offending was committed when Peel turned to alcohol after the death of his brother.

The chairman of the bench said Peel would have gone to prison if he had not given prompt guilty pleas.

Prosecuting, Beverley Dobson said Peel assaulted guard Nigel Newton on October 22 at Tesco on Exchange Street after his girlfriend was caught shoplifting. She said: "The defendant was trying to hand over £5 to pay for the items and the guard asked him to leave.

"The defendant made threats and followed the guard back inside.

"The guard put his hand to the defendant’s chest and as he tried to push back in he caught the guard’s jaw with his hand or elbow.

"The complainant took him to the floor and he tried to grab his face and was pulling his hair."

The court heard Peel behaved strangely while in a police cell.

Ms Dobson said: "He was banging on the door, removing his trousers and underwear and trying to tie his trousers around his neck.

"He tried to flood the cell, was clapping and shouting.

"He put his hand in the toilet and rubbed it on the door and officers found excrement and tissue obscuring the peephole."

On November 9 Peel stole lead worth £500 from Jonathan Tilley and £800 from Robert Gittins. Defending, Lesley Herman said: "There was a break in my client’s offending, he had a drug addiction which he managed to conquer.

"But this spate has been committed because he turned to alcohol after his brother died earlier this year.

"The death is being investigated, it wasn’t natural causes and there were drug-related issues and this is causing him a great deal of torment.

"He has a daughter and wants to spend Christmas with her and stop drinking."

Peel was given an 18-month community order, with an alcohol treatment programme and ordered to pay £65 for cleaning the cell and £250 compensation for the thefts.