A serial thief who stole more than £1,000 worth of products from shops became abusive towards probation staff and attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen.
Darren Wooley, 42, attended a meeting at the probation office in Flint, Flintshire, on March 19 but became “emotional and aggressive” when his licensing conditions were set out. He shouted at staff members, referring to them as “horrible b*******”, “two-faced p*****”, and “f****** c****”.
Incident at probation office
A sentencing hearing at Caernarfon Crown Court heard the defendant began banging on the table, throwing items around, and stabbed himself in the neck with a ballpoint pen as staff feared for their safety.
On May 16 Wooley entered a vehicle belonging to a Tesco delivery driver in Prestatyn, Denbighshire, and stole an iPhone 13 and a PDA handheld device worth £400.
Shoplifting spree
As a result of his previous convictions Wooley was made subject to a criminal behaviour order which prevented him from concealing items in bags when attending shops.
Between May and July this year the defendant attended stores including Mountain Warehouse in Prestatyn, Specsavers in Mold, Tesco in Holywell, and B&M Bargains in Flint, and stole more than £1,000 worth of items including coats, bottles of spirits, whiskey and lager, legs of lamb, Pot Noodles, crisps, and beef brisket.
Guilty pleas and sentence
Wooley, of Alexandra Drive, Prestatyn, later pleaded guilty to 11 counts of shoplifting, eight counts of breaching a criminal behaviour order, two counts of theft from a motor vehicle, and one count of disorderly conduct and attempting to cause alarm or distress.
The court heard he has 58 previous convictions including multiple offences of shoplifting and breaching court orders.
In mitigation Joseph Lees said his client's life has been “blighted by addiction” and this lay behind his offences. The barrister said the defendant had adverse childhood experiences where the use of substances was “commonplace” and he began using drugs at the age of 12. The defendant has suffered the loss of siblings through drug-related deaths and his father from cancer.
Judge Nicola Jones sentenced Wooley to a total of two years imprisonment.
