A TEENAGER racially abused a security guard before chasing him around an Ipswich supermarket with a kitchen knife, forcing shoppers to flee.Ricky Thorpe, of Dandalan Close, Ipswich, had drunk about three litres of cider when he approached the Tesco Express store, in Bramford Road, at about 9pm on July 13.

A TEENAGER racially abused a security guard before chasing him around an Ipswich supermarket with a kitchen knife, forcing shoppers to flee.

Ricky Thorpe, of Dandalan Close, Ipswich, had drunk about three litres of cider when he approached the Tesco Express store, in Bramford Road, at about 9pm on July 13.

After kicking an advertising board, security guard Adeniji Adekunle came outside and asked him to stop.

Thorpe, 19, became abusive and attempted to punch Mr Adekunle, before leaving the area.

The police were called but before they could get to the scene Thorpe had returned, this time armed with a kitchen knife.

Thorpe was heard to shout to the security guard: “Nigger, I am going to stab you to the gut”.

Mr Adekunle fled inside the store before exiting through a side door. Meanwhile, the store manager herded customers to the rear, out of Thorpe's way.

The security guard eventually managed to run away, at which point Thorpe “stormed off” and threw the knife away.

Police arrived a little while later and searched the area for a man fitting Thorpe's description, arresting him nearby soon after.

When showed closed circuit television footage of the attack, Thorpe told police he was “horrified by his actions and “couldn't imagine himself acting that way”.

He said he was not a racist and had mixed-race family and friends. He could not remember leaving to get the knife but said he would not have harmed Mr Adekunle if he had caught up with him.

Thorpe pleaded guilty to charges of damaging property, using racially threatening, abusive or insulting words and having an offensive weapon.

Nicholas Cotter, mitigating at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday, said Thorpe fully accepts his behaviour was a “disgrace” and wished to apologise to the security guard.

He said his family had a history of mental illness and Thorpe had experienced psychological problems.

On the day of the attack, the five-year anniversary of the death of Thorpe's father, the teenager had been drinking cider for several hours.

Mr Cotter said Thorpe had “self-diagnosed” his problems as arising from excessive cannabis use.

But judge Peter De Mille said there was no medical evidence of this.

He said: “Whether you remember the events of July 13 or not, it's perfectly clear that your behaviour must have been terrifying to everybody who became, in effect, your victims and, in particular, the security guard.

“It's clear in all of the evidence you were affected by drink. There's no evidence that you were affected by any other substance that night.”

He said he had no choice but to give him a two-year term of detention at a young offenders' institute.