A PAIR of drunks who launched a booze fuelled bout of lunchtime violence outside a town centre pub have been jailed.

Mark Bailey, 44, hurled a heavy sign and William Sheehan, 22, a chair during the frightening incident.

And they also issued threats to kill a family of innocent strangers who were sitting outside with a seven-month-old baby.

Then after Bailey was arrested he was found to be armed with a Stanley Knife and then also hurled racist abuse at a police officer.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the incident took place outside the Sir Daniel Arms on Fleet Street at about 2pm on Friday July 1.

She said a family with the young child were minding their own business when the pair burst into violence, making threats at them.

After threatening to kill the woman in the group one of them hurled a can of cider at her brother, the child's dad, 'for no reason'.

Bailey then picked up an A-frame and hurled it about before Sheehan leaned over a rope barrier to pick up a chair before throwing it.

Miss Hingston said "Sheehan was standing in a boxing stance saying things like 'Do you want to fight me?' and 'I'm going to put a Stanley Knife in a boxing glove and hurt you'."

She said when he was taken to the police station Bailey launched a tirade of racist abuse at PC Simon Sanghera, swearing and calling him a racist name.

Sheehan, of Culvery Court, admitted affray, and Bailey, of no fixed abode, affray, having a bladed article and a racially aggravated public order offence.

The court was told Bailey had 136 previous convictions, including 14 in 2016, and Sheehan 65 including numerous for drink related matters.

Alex Daymond, for Bailey, said his client had been drinking after taking former legal high spice at the time and remembered little of what happened.

He said he had a long history of offending which was clearly down to his alcohol problem, though he had been a drug addict in the past as well.

Laura Paisley, for Sheehan, said her client, who also has a significant alcohol problem, had played a lesser role in the incident.

While in custody on remand she said that he had been undertaking courses and hoped to work in the building trade when he gets out.

Jailing them Recorder Robert Pawson said "You have both given your barristers an almost impossible task.

"Both of them have said all that can be said as persuasively as could be said. The fact is each of you falls to be sentenced for an affray on June 1.

"Each of you were in it together. It was mid afternoon. You were, it seems, intoxicated in a public place.

"You approached members of the public who were behaving perfectly properly outside a public house.

"One of you was armed with a Stanley Knife: that was you Mr Bailey. Each of you three things."

He jailed Sheehan for 10 months and Bailey 14 months adding the extra for the racial abuse to the policeman.