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A homeless man who alarmed staff in a Mansfield supermarket when they saw him taking a garden tool used it to clear moss from where he sleeps out of his pocket, a court has heard.

Jamie Grout was seen transferring the implement, described as a “grout rake” in court papers, from one pocket to another, in Tesco, on Chesterfield Road, on April 14, said Becky Allsop, prosecuting.

And when police searched him on St Peter's retail park, on May 2, a small amount of mamba was found on him.

Ian Pridham, mitigating, said Grout, who has no previous convictions, "fell foul of the law by ignorance."

Mansfield Magistrates court, Rosemary Street.

"He saw it as a hand tool,” he said. “There is no suggestion he was going to use it as a weapon. He confesses to me he is addicted to heroin, primarily to get by. He appears to be motivated to address this problem.

"There is no evidence he is funding his habit by illegal means. Despite being a young man he's fallen on very hard times since his relationship broke down.”

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Grout, aged 23, admitted possessing a bladed article in a public place and a class B drug when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Thursday

District judge Gillian Young told him: “The starting point for this sort of offence is a custodial sentence but in this instance I am going to depart from that.”

Grout received a 12 month community order with ten rehabilitation days and must participate in a six month drug rehabilitation programme. He was fined £100 and was ordered to pay a £114 surcharge with £100 costs.

Homeless man alarmed Tesco staff in Mansfield when he produced a garden tool