A MAN who roamed a superstore heavily armed at night was suffering a mental health “crisis”, a court was told.

But since his arrest, after being Tasered by police called to the Dragonville Tesco Extra premises in Gilesgate, Durham City, the court was told that former drug addict James Glendenning Douglas has begun to show signs of improvement.

Durham Crown Court was told that a recent assessment ruled he no longer requires mental health treatment and is overcoming his former drug habit.

A previous hearing was told that he entered the store at about 1am on February 8, carrying a machete, a snooker cue, a knuckle-duster and a sock containing two snooker balls.

Douglas approached a security guard, who backed off when he brandished the weapons.

He then walked up and down the aisles shouting: “Is anyone in Tesco listening to me?”

The store was evacuated and an armed police team with dog handlers searched the premises to find him lying on an aisle floor.

A Taser was used when Douglas refused to release the weapons, before he was detained.

He told police he had a £10,000 drug debt and had been homeless since November, so decided to do something to get himself arrested.

Douglas, formerly of Sharp Crescent, Gilesgate, admitted causing an affray and four counts of possessing an offensive weapon at his first court appearance.

He remained in custody for three months until he was allowed bail, to live at a his parents’ home in Rose Street, Trimdon Grange, County Durham.

Judge Christopher Prince asked for the further psychiatric assessment to be compiled.

The court was told Douglas was suffering depression at the time and that his actions were described as, “a cry for help”.

His barrister, Caroline Goodwin, told yesterday’s hearing: “These offences took place at a time of crisis in this man’s life, but there has been this improvement.

“He is no longer using drugs and he has now had a job offer, so things are starting to take shape.”

Judge Prince imposed a two-year community supervision order to include a drug rehabilitation programme for a year, with six-monthly drug reviews.