JAILED: Prolific thief threatened shop staff with syringes
A prolific criminal threatened security staff with hypodermic syringes at three stores during a shoplifting spree in which he struck at shops eight times in less than a month, a judge heard.
Richard Webster, who had 50 previous convictions involving 162 separate offences, was already barred from two of the business premises by a criminal anti-social behaviour order (CRASBO), which had been imposed after his earlier offending, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
The 31-year-old brandished a syringe at a guard who approached as he made off with a stolen Dyson vacuum cleaner from Sainsbury’s in Wednesfield and taunted the man by saying: ‘Go on then – I will stab you,’ revealed Mr Mark Phillips, prosecuting.
The defendant had already broken the terms of the one-year-old CRASBO twice previously, continued the prosecutor.
Webster’s latest one man crime wave started with the theft of goods from the Home Bargains shop in Samuel Street, Bloxwich – where he had also been banned by the CRASBO – on May 16, the court heard.
Four days later he threatened the member of Sainsbury’s security staff and 24 hours after that struck at Wilko in Market Place, Bloxwich.
On May 22 he threatened another security guard with a syringe, this time while stealing a DVD player from Sainsbury’s at Reedswood Way, Walsall.
The defendant returned to shoplift again at the Bloxwich Wilko shop on May 28 before stealing goods from Asda in Woodall Street, Bloxwich three times between June 7 and June 10, the last of which saw him threaten another security guard with a syringe.
The value of the hauls from the eight offences totalled £1,020, concluded Mr Phillips.
Webster, from High Street, Bloxwich, admitted theft, breaking the terms of his CRASBO and threatening behaviour. He was jailed for two years four months.
Judge Peter Barrie told him: “You committed eight offences of shoplifting, two breaking the terms of a CRASBO, which you had already broken twice in a year and using syringes to threaten security staff on three occasions.
“There were no physical injuries but this is certain to have been a frightening experience for those involved who were just doing their job.”
A fresh CRASBO was introduced, banning him from specified shops for the next five years.
