A MAN who caused £154,000 of damage after ploughing his car into a pub with staff and customers inside has been spared jail.

Stephen Lewry, who admitted driving his car into the Lord Arthur Lee pub in Fareham, was facing up to two years in jail but was instead given a three-year probation order.

Staff at the JD Wetherspoon pub who were left traumatised by Lewry's rampage today branded the sentence an outrage.

Duty manager Alan Shorthouse said: "It's outrageous. I can't imagine any of the staff being happy with that. Some of them received a lot of counselling after what he did. We were expecting him to at least get sent to prison - we feel totally let down."

Kitchen manager Catherine Forster who was threatened by Lewry, said: "I came here to see him get sent to prison. I am still really upset by what happened."

Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Lewry, a welder, of Biggin Walk, Fareham, had been barred by staff days earlier for pestering customers for free drinks.

Prosecutor Rufus Taylor explained how Lewry, 36, had returned to the pub the day before the incident despite the drinking ban and threw a chair at the door.

He came back again on the morning of May 6 and threatened to drive his car into the bar.

Mr Taylor described how Lewry smashed the pub's windows using a gym weight before getting into his Vauxhall Cavalier. "He got into his car, revved the engine and reversed backwards through the front door of the public house straight into the bar," said Mr Taylor.

Staff and drinkers were forced to dive for cover while Lewry drove around inside the pub before ploughing into a pillar.

As he got out he said to staff: "I told you, didn't I? Are you happy now?"

The pub was closed for six weeks while repairs were completed, costing a further £75,000 in lost profits.

Mr Taylor said that on his way to the pub Lewry had been involved in a road rage incident on Mill Lane in Fareham, smashing into a black Audi driven by David Holden because he was in a bad mood.

Lewry admitted causing damage to the pub on two occasions, being reckless as to whether life was endangered and a further charge of dangerous driving.

Mitigating for Lewry, barrister Christopher Wing explained Lewry suffered from psychological problems including schizophrenia.

He said: "I am sure that anyone observing the actions of this defendant would have undoubtedly said these were the actions of a mad man. After reading the reports about him that handle would not be too inaccurate a description of him at that moment in time."

Judge David Selwood sentenced Lewry to a three-year community rehabilitation order under the supervision of a psychiatrist with 100 hours of community service.

He was also disqualified from driving for two years.