A ‘menace’ with over 150 offences on his criminal record has finally been jailed after targeting the same shop twice. Prolific thief, Lee Gorman, walked into the Londis store on Pollard Street, in Manchester city centre, before helping himself to multiple bottles of wine.
As he attempted to leave without paying, he and fellow thief David Homer, were challenged by the manager who tried to reclaim the bottles.
But, Homer threatened: “I’m going to put this through you”, as Gorman held one of the bottles over his head and said: “You’re going to be wearing this”.
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Just days later, Gorman, 38, went back into the same store, and again attempted to lift some more bottles of booze. The shop assistant, a student at Manchester University, challenged him, but Gorman told him: “I’m going to smash you with this”, as he held up one of the bottles.
Both Gorman and Homer, 37, admitted offences of robbery and were jailed today at Manchester Crown Court.
Sentencing them Judge Sarah Johnston said: “On December 3 last year, at the Londis store, you both entered that store with the intent to shoplift. You collected three bottles of wine, put two bottles in the bag you were carrying and tried to leave the shop with a third.
“The manager saw what you were doing and confronted you, to the extent he tried to remove the bottles from you, but you both began issuing violent verbal threats.
“Threats that were initiated by Mr Gorman holding one of the bottles above your head.”
She said the manager took the threats seriously and backed away, and was left in shock.
A few days later Gorman returned to the same store with a different man, and again attempted to shoplift. The student who challenged them said he felt ‘unnerved’ and said he found it hard to focus on his studies after the confrontation.
Gorman was said to have 163 offences on his criminal record, including 111 dishonesty offences. Homer was said to have 67 previous offences, 54 of which were for dishonesty.
“You have an appalling antecedent history,” Judge Johnston said.
“I conclude you are a prolific offender. More than merely a nuisance, you are both a menace when under the influence of drugs and these offences represent an escalation in the seriousness of offending.”
She said both men had a life ‘blighted’ by drug abuse and said the period of imprisonment would allow them to ‘reflect on the lifestyle they have led’.
Gorman, of no fixed abode, was jailed for 33 months for two offences of robbery.
Homer, of Highclere Avenue, Salford, was jailed for 27 months for a single offence of robbery.
Both men were made the subject of criminal behaviour orders, prohibiting them from remaining in certain areas of the city centre.
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