A MAN has been charged with trying to rob Burger King in an incident which left a member of staff with a cut to his hand.

Paul Fox-Hetherington, 56, of Old Southend Road, Southend, appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with attempted robbery and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The incident occurred just before 7am on Saturday, December 6. Fox-Hetherington was arrested a week later.

He was charged on Sunday, and will next appear at Basildon Crown Court in the week beginning March 23. The manager of the fast food restaurant, in Southend High Street, suffered a severe laceration to the hand during the incident.

Fox-Hetherington, wearing red custody-issue tracksuit trousers, a blue top and a beige corduroy jacket, sat stony-faced in the dock and spoke only to confirm his name and address.

Defence solicitor Jay Kallagher requested he be released on conditional bail.

However the magistrates'

bench, chaired by Ian Currie, declined the request and remanded him to custody in Chelmsford prison, until his next court appearance.

Following the hearing he gave a thumbs-up signal to an associate in the public gallery as he was taken down.

On the same morning an unmarked police car, believed to have been heading for the Burger King incident, collided with a jogger on the A127 at the junction with Progress Road.

The jogger suffered serious life-changing injuries in the collision and was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital.