A 41-year-old grandad bit a Sainsbury's security guard and threatened to stab him with a dirty needle after being caught shoplifting, just days after burgling the same store for hundreds of pounds of Lego. William Woodward, of no fixed address, was jailed for 14 months at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting burglary, two counts of theft and assault.
Burglary and theft spree
The court heard Woodward walked into Sainsbury's on Rice Lane in Walton through open delivery doors while a wagon was unloading stock at around 3am on July 21. He was seen in a hi-vis vest before selecting six Lego sets valued at £230 in the toy department and leaving without paying.
Eight days later, at around 1.45pm on July 29, Woodward returned to the same store and began placing jars of coffee into his JD Sports bag. As he headed for the exit without paying for the £54 worth of goods, he was confronted by a security guard.
Violent confrontation
When told police would be called, Woodward attempted to run and push past the employee, Lawrence Woodward. A struggle ensued on the ground, during which the defendant bit Mr Woodward and repeatedly threatened to "stab him with a dirty needle" before being restrained and arrested.
Woodward also faced sentencing for an incident on April 27, when he entered Home Bargains on Barnes Street in Anfield, filled a bag with £33 worth of washing products, and left without paying. His criminal record shows 54 previous convictions for 142 offences.
Court sentencing
Peter White, defending, told the court: "He does wish to apologise to the victims. In essence, Mr Woodward has had an entrenched class A drug addiction for a number of years. He was moved by Shelter to the Liverpool area. He is originally from the Middlewich area. He has little to no connection with Liverpool. His class A drug habit spiralled."
White added that Woodward has been in custody since July 30, has been subject to daily drug testing, and has reduced his script to nothing, making him "completely absent of drug use" for the first time in decades. He has three children and grandchildren and wants to be part of their lives.
Sentencing, Judge Anil Murray said: "You know that this has to be an immediate custodial sentence. You are a prolific offender. You have got previous convictions going back over 25 years. Your record looks like someone who uses acquisitive crime to satisfy an addiction. Lots of things been tried with you, but nothing has worked. You were on licence at the time of these offences and subject to a community order."
The judge added: "The common assault was serious. You assaulted a security guard who was just doing his job. You tried to bite him and threatened him with a dirty needle. The burglary, there was some planning. Importantly, you are free from drugs for the first time, I am told. You have family, and you want to try to stay free of drugs. I hope you do that. If you don't, you are just going to be serving a life sentence by instalments."
