A thief pulled a knife out on a security guard and racially abused him while trying to steal items from a supermarket. A court heard he was the victim of a county lines operation and his partner was murdered by drug dealers.
Michael Jones, 45, is a serial shoplifter and attended Asda in Cardiff Bay on November 4 where he attempted to take toys, towels, and cushions worth £319. When alarms at the security barrier went off he was approached by a security guard who asked to see his receipt but Jones refused.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard there was a scuffle during which the defendant pulled out a Stanley knife and told the security guard: “I’m going to cut you.” He tried to move the blade towards the victim but he was pushed out of the store and the items were retrieved.
He became verbally and racially abusive and said to the guard: “You f****** d***head. You f****** P*** b******. I am going to come back for you. I am going to kill you.” He was later recognised on CCTV footage.
On November 11 police were called out at 1am to reports of a man stumbling around in the road and found Jones unsteady on his feet. Officers tried to assist him and upon them learning he was a wanted man the defendant was arrested. He was initially calm but upon being placed into custody he became verbally abusive and told officers to “f*** off”. He called an officer a “dirty s***” and threatened to punch her. Jones called another officer a “P*** c***”, called another officer the N-word and a “black c***”, and began spitting in his cell.
Prosecutor Sophie Keegan detailed a number of thefts carried out by Jones. On August 19 he stole £335 worth of tracksuits from JD Sports in Cardiff. On November 1 he took £697 worth of perfumes and gift sets from Boots in St David’s shopping centre and returned the same day to steal a further £495 of items. On November 2 he attempted to steal £198 worth of perfume from Boots but was stopped by a security guard. On November 10 he attempted to steal £507 worth of perfume and fragrances but was stopped.
Jones, of no fixed abode, later pleaded guilty to two counts of racially-aggravated harassment, eight counts of theft from a shop, threatening a person with a bladed article, and breach of a suspended sentence. The court heard he has 59 previous convictions for 108 theft offences and 50 offences related to shoplifting.
In mitigation Jeffrey Jones said his client was the victim of a county lines enterprise which saw him moved from London to Cardiff in order to pay off a debt. His partner was murdered in 2015, which Mr Jones said was “directly related” to the activities of the drugs gang. Her death led the defendant’s life to “spiral” and he became more entrenched in his use of Class A drugs. His drugs debt has now been paid in full and he has been released from that burden.
Recorder Robin Rouch sentenced Jones to a total of 17 months imprisonment. He will serve half the sentence in custody before he is released to serve the remainder on licence.
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