A THUG who threatened a teenager with severe autism and her assistance dog in Tesco had to be removed by security staff.

The young girl was terrified after being confronted by the yob at Tesco, off High Road, Pitsea, and screamed at for having a dog inside the store.

He then claimed he would wait for her outside to attack them.

It is the second time the girl from Benfleet has been confronted having been knocked unconscious on a Canvey beach by a gang of thugs during the summer who realised she was vulnerable.

During the most recent incident, on Wednesday, January 2, the man approached the girl and threatened to attack her outside the store.

Store security rushed to escort the man from the supermarket after the incident.

The girl has autism and suffers with severe anxiety.

The girl’s mum was furious and was forced to step in to protect her daughter.

She said: “We were in Tesco, I had gone in to do my shopping.

“She had the assistant dog with her which is a Labrador called Poppy.

“A man went up to my daughter and questioned if the dog was trained and then said it had attacked him.

“My daughter screamed and the security rushed over. He said to her ‘you wait until you get outside and I will bash you’.

“I said there’s no way the dog would hurt anyone, I think he was against it as he thought dogs shouldn’t be near food.

“My daughter is feeling very shaken after the incident.

“She has been through so much and this doesn’t help at all.

“The security in the store were really good and amazing and they made the man leave and asked what his problem was.”

The mother said the dog has helped her daughter and is much comfort when the teen leaves the safety of her home.

Last summer the teen was subjected to a violent attack on a beach while with friends.

She was at Thorney Bay Beach, Canvey, in July when the gang attacked her, knocking her unconscious.

The incident in the store was not reported to police.