Thief grappled with a shop worker over tins of coffee
CHRIS GEE
AMAN grappled with a shop worker who tried to prevent him leaving a supermarket without paying for a bag full of coffee and wine, a court has heard.
Mark Anthony Parry, 38, entered the Co-operative store in Clayton-leMooors at around 5pm on June 18 this year and was seen to make towards the doorway with a bag containing three jars of Kenco coffee, 12 other coffee tins and a bottle of red wine, together valued at
£96.20. Alex Mann, prosecuting, told magistrates in Blackburn that a male shop assistant who was serving at the till of the Pickup Street store, challenged Parry as he made his way out.
Miss Mann, said: “When challenged the defendant said ‘it’s nothing to do with you’ and attempted to continue.
“The shop worker grabbed the bag and a tussle began.
“The defendant was saying words to the effect of ‘Leave me alone’.”
During the confrontation the shopping back split and many of the contents spilled to the floor.
Miss Mann said that during the confrontation the shop worker believed that Parry may have had a weapon and said to him ‘you’re not going to stab me over some coffee are you?’.
A police investigation established that Parry, of Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn, was not carrying a weapon at the time of the offence.
Parry pleaded guilty to one count of theft.
Defending, Ben Leech said Parry, a father of two, had been in financial difficulty at the time because a change in circumstances in his family’s benefits left them with only £194 per month for a two month period.
He said: “He’s not proud of this but he intended to sell the goods to buy food.”
Fining him £80 and ordering him to pay £100 compensation to the shop worker, the chair of the bench said she ‘understood he was going through a difficult period, but that is no excuse’ and suggested that using a food bank could have been a solution.