A 40-year-old man has been jailed for 46 months after a crime spree that included threatening to stab Tesco workers, brandishing a knife outside the Adelphi Hotel and writing off a carer's car. Kelvin Jones, of Rawlins Street in Fairfield, admitted a series of offences at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.
Threats and theft in city centre
Jones and a female co-defendant, who was sentenced by magistrates on an earlier occasion, entered Tesco Express on Whitechapel in Liverpool city centre at around 8am on May 12 this year. He was seen to place around £30 of detergent down his trousers as the woman helped herself to a pint of milk.
When confronted by staff, Jones stated "I'll rob whatever I want", placing his forehead against that of one employee while having his fists clenched. When another worker began filming the altercation, he slapped her mobile phone from her hand and warned: "I'll stab you. I'm going to stab you, you rat, and punch your head in."
Jones also "motioned towards his pocket, as if he had a knife" and caused around £200 of damage to security barriers in the store before he left. He later stole pyjamas worth £60 from 12th Man Footy in St Johns Shopping Centre before being arrested in Williamson Square. At this stage, Jones asked "if it was about the milk" and maintained that he had paid for the dairy product, as well as claiming that he had "just been passed items" by his co-accused.
Knife incident and burglary
After being released on bail, police were called to the Adelphi Hotel at around 7.30am on May 20, with a bus driver having reportedly seen Jones armed with a knife while arguing with another male in the middle of the road outside the premises. Jones was heard to warn this rival "I'll slit your throat" during the altercation. He disposed of the weapon down a drain before being detained on Great Charlotte Street following a struggle, at which stage he said that he was "having trouble with people".
At around 2.45am on May 30, a group of burglars broke into a family home on Wadham Road in Bootle while the occupants were asleep inside. The offenders stole an electric scooter and a set of car keys for a Suzuki car, which was then driven away from outside the address with a number of bank cards inside. While Jones was not personally said to have entered the house, he was accepted being among the offenders who attended the property and was subsequently found to have driven the stolen vehicle to a car park on Leeds Street. It had sustained "extensive damage" in the meantime, ultimately leading to it being written off.
Jones was found to be "unsteady on his feet" when arrested but refused tests for drink and drugs at the roadside and in custody, having denied being the driver after changing his clothing. The victim, a community care assistant, labelled the incident as "seriously traumatising for him and his whole family", leaving them "scared of people breaking in again".
Sentencing
With Jones having 43 previous convictions for 106 offences, including drug driving in 2018 and having several non-dwelling burglaries on his record, Lucy Moran, defending, told the court that he had struggled with crack cocaine and heroin misuse for a long time, had been a drug user for 15 years, and had been taking class A drugs for seven years. She said he was now on methadone but recognised that was still a significant problem which had contributed significantly to what he had done. She added that he had long standing mental issues and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Jones admitted two counts of theft from shop, assault by beating, common assault, criminal damage, possession of a bladed article in a public place, burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, theft, failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis, driving without a licence and driving without insurance. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a blue and black North Face jacket, he was jailed for 46 months and banned from driving for 70 months.
Sentencing, Judge Louise Brandon said of the complainant in the burglary offence: "He describes being seriously traumatised by the incident. He was scared for his family and struggles to sleep at night." She added: "Unlike you, he is someone who provides a vital service to the community. Your actions have prevented him from doing that. You are a career thug and thief. More recently, you have become a drug dealer."
