A "brazen" thief who assaulted a supermarket worker and stole hundreds of pounds worth of alcohol has been sentenced to 27 months in prison. Christopher Evans, 33, of no fixed abode, appeared at Swansea Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to robbery.
Incident at Sainsbury's in Gorseinon
The court heard that on June 11 last year, a staff member at the Sainsbury's store in Gorseinon was collecting items for an online order when he spotted Evans in the alcohol aisle. The shopworker immediately recognised Evans, who had previously been caught trying to steal from the store. Evans had a trolley filled with bottles of alcohol, which he attempted to conceal under other items. When the shopworker politely challenged him and asked him to leave, Evans responded, "None of your business." The shopworker accompanied Evans as he pushed the trolley toward the tills, but Evans headed for the door without paying. The worker blocked his path, and Evans punched him in the face. In self-defence, the worker pushed Evans to the floor. Several other staff members, including a manager, tried to persuade Evans to leave the trolley behind, but he walked out with £463 worth of alcohol.
Previous offence and arrest
Just 11 days earlier, Evans had committed a similar robbery at a B&M store in Cwmdu, Swansea, where he stole a trolley full of cleaning products and threatened to stab a security guard. For that offence, he was sentenced to 21 months in prison in November and was due to be released next week. Police arrested Evans at HMP Cardiff on November 19, where he was being held on remand for other matters. He initially denied being the person caught on CCTV.
Criminal record
Evans has 44 previous convictions, including 34 for theft and shoplifting. Prosecutor Sarah John noted a delay in charging Evans, as the investigating officer was on a course for six weeks and police struggled to locate him within the prison system, initially believing he was at HMP Parc instead of HMP Cardiff.
Defence and sentencing
Defence barrister John Allchurch said alcohol and drugs had been issues in Evans' life, but he was now drug-free and working in the prison kitchen. Judge Huw Rees described Evans' record as "appalling" and emphasised the need to protect the public. He noted that the Sainsbury's staff were a "dedicated team" who do not go to work to be assaulted. With a one-quarter discount for his guilty plea, Evans was sentenced to 27 months in prison, to run consecutively to his existing sentence. He will serve up to half the term in custody before being released on licence.
