Thief who punched and hit shopkeeper with pole is jailed
ATHIEF who punched and beat a shopkeeper repeatedly over the head with a pole has been jailed.
Stephen Cairney, 24, assaulted victim Jagtar Singh, who was looking after the Premier shop in Clayton-le-Moors with his wife while the owner was at a wedding.
Burnley Crown Court heard how Cairney entered the Pickup Street shop shortly after 9am on June 10 this year and that Mr Singh was ‘immediately suspicious because he appeared to be grabbing random items and putting them in his bag’.
Lisa Worsley, prosecuting, told the court how Mr Singh moved towards the door ‘in an effort to block any attempt to escape’.
After several minutes Cairney tried to flee the shop with a basket of goods shouting ‘let me get out, let me get out’.
However, Mr Singh replied ‘No, you have to pay first’, before the two tussled for control of Cairney’s basket.
Miss Worsley said the defendant, who smelled of drink, then used his free hand and with a ‘clenched fist’ punched Mr Singh ‘hard to the nose’, causing it to bleed immediately. The court heard Cairney then started to ‘wrestle’ with Mr Singh and was ‘shouting the F-word frequently’. The prosecutor said Cairney was yanking Mr Singh around and knocking him into shelves and continuing to punch him in the face’.
Mr Singh’s wife then tried to help her husband by waving a stick at Cairney which was ‘normally used for pulling down the shutters’. However, the court heard how Cairney ‘ snatched’ the stick from her and used it to repeatedly strike Mr Singh to the head. The court was told how the struggle ‘ended up on the street’ before Cairney fled the scene with two girls who were shouting ‘let’s go, let’s go’.
Miss Worsley said nearby pharmacy shop worker Maxine Hunter saw the incident as it spilled over into the street and went to help Mr Singh and his wife.
The court heard that Mr Singh suffered a bloodied nose and bruising to his head. Paramedics were called to the shop, however the victim did not receive hospital treatment.
Cairney, of Barnes Street, Clayton-leMoors, pleaded guilty to ABH and theft and was jailed for 12 months. When interviewed by police he had answered ‘no comment’, but in a prepared statement claimed that any violence he used ‘had been to defend himself’.