An offender - with 16 aliases - has received a ticking off from a judge after he was seen swigging from a can of lager while sitting on the court steps.

Jessica Kennett - who was born Richard Kennett - was spotted boozing outside Maidstone Crown Court boozing at 8am.

As the 47-year-old went through court security, officers confiscated a half finished can of alcohol.

Kennett from Folkestone Road, Dover was facing a jail term after earlier admitting charges of assault, smashing a door and threatening to cause criminal damage.

Judge Julian Smith heard how Kennett and his mother had a "volatile" relationship and she had ordered him to leave the family home.

Kennett is also known as Jess, Miss Jessica, Jessica Kennett, Maxine Kennett, Rachael Kennett, Jessica Phillip Kennett and Richard Kay.

His gender was given as male on court documents, and admitted all of the offences which occurred over three dates in 2019.

Sporting a pink Alice band, Kennett, who has been convicted of 39 previous offences, was repeatedly ordered to keep quiet after shouting out from the dock.

Judge Smith told Kennett the mother's life had been "made a misery" with smashed doors in July last year and threats to cause criminal damage.

The court heard how in July 2019, Kennett had been drinking "throughout the day" before throwing a drink over his mother who would later reveal she had been "manipulated by my son".

When Judge Smith said it was a case of a "long suffering mother who has endured five years of ill treatment", Kennett began shouting out from the dock and was told: "Just be quiet, quiet!"

He told him: "As I understand it, you have had a drink this morning. I don't care how many it was but you were seen drinking on the steps of the court! So sit down... be quiet!"

Kennett replied: "I'm sorry."

He was given a nine-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months and told by the judge: "You are a trouble to me but much more so to your mother.

"The threat you made to your mother about burning down her house was a nasty threat. But you are in a transition and you have learning difficulties and have a personality disorder."

Kennet retorted: "I want to go back to Dover. I am doing really well there... I don't want to be locked up."

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