A man tried to bite a police officer's wrist after he was caught stealing a Batman toy from Home Bargains.
Steven Dickinson was sentenced for a number of offences at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday (May 9). The 50-year-old, of Ford Lane, Bootle, has 83 previous convictions.
At hearings earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to several offences, which took place across late 2022 and early 2023. Among them were common assault, common assault of an emergency worker and two counts of theft from shops in Bootle's New Strand Shopping Centre.
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On February 13, 2023, Dickinson stole a Batman figurine and some glasses from Home Bargains in the New Strand, Bootle. He also took a Teppanyaki grill set from TJ Hughes.
Security guard Mark Sanders tried to detain Dickinson, who then swung a kick at him but failed to make contact. Police attended and Dickenson was arrested.
As he was detained, he tried to bite a police officer on her wrist. He pleaded guilty to the four charges at Magistrates' Court last month.
On November 25, 2022, Dickinson was involved in a violent incident of violence Southport. He hit victim Simon Long in the face with a shovel a number of times outside an address on West Street.
Mr Long was drunk at the address and, at around 7.45m, Dickinson asked him to leave. They had both been drinking for several hours. Mr Long left with a woman but struggled to walk and decided to lie down in the front garden.
Dickinson then left the address and picked up a shovel from a neighbour's front yard. He then proceeded to hit Mr Long in the face with the flat and the edge of the shovel, before stamping on his face.
Witnesses reported seeing Dickinson make several blows. Mr Long suffered swelling to the left side of his face and minor nasal fractures. He was left with no recollection of the incident.
Dickinson pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon at his first appearance at Crown Court.
Two months before, Dickinson stole a wallet from a car and then used the bank cards a number of times at locations around the Southport area, making purchases in the region of £20.
On September 10, 2022, victim Sean Dolan found out his card had been used through alerts on his phone. He asked his brother in law Jack Harper to find the card.
Mr Harper found Dickinson on Nevill Street in Southport and demanded that he return the wallet. Dickinson fell to the floor during a disagreement and a knife fell to the ground as he fell.
He was arrested and said "that is my knife" when shown it. A drunken Dickinson was taken to Copy Lane police station in Bootle, where he was told to stay in the waiting area.
While there, he harassed a police officer and directed racial slurs at them. He pleaded guilty to theft, possession of a bladed article, fraud and racially aggravated harassment at Magistrates' Court.
The other offence Dickinson faced sentence for took place on December 16, 2022. A Toyota was parked outside a chop shop with the keys in the ignition.
Dickinson was found in the driver's seat, revving the engine and holding a beer bottle. He refused to provide a specimen blood sample to police as he said this was against his beliefs.
The 50-year-old pleaded guilty to all offences. He had 18 previous convictions for violence and 65 for theft.
Defending, Eve Salter pointed to Dickinson's guilty pleas, all of which came at the first opportunity, apart from those relating to the incident on West Street in November, to which he pleaded guilty at a crown court plea and trial hearing.
Ms Salter said that her client's offending was "all motivated by addiction" to alcohol and he had "hit rock bottom". She said Dickinson needed support to change his ways but had taken every opportunity presented to him in custody, including working three days a week.
In his sentencing remarks, judge Robert Trevor-Jones said that there was a "recognisable pattern" to Dickinson's attending, which included "violence, dishonesty in various ways and carrying bladed articles". The judge focused on the West Street assault, which he considered to be the lead offence.
About Dickinson's victim Mr Long, he said: "He was very vulnerable, defenceless and prone on the ground through drink".
The judge told Dickinson: "You then set about to strike him to the head repeatedly and stamped on him", adding "It was just a wild assault".
He jailed Dickinson for a total of two years and three months. He acknowledged Dickinson's issues with alcohol and the fact he had been before the courts almost 100 times in his adult life.
Before sending Dickinson down, the judge told him: "You are now 50-years-old and it is time to stop"
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