A homeless thief was heard laughing after stabbing a shopping centre security guard with a pair of scissors.
Lee Vickers, 23, was jailed for 12 months at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday after a terrifying incident outside of The Cleveland Shopping Centre, in Middlesbrough in July. Prosecutor Annelise Haugstad told the court it was around 11.00am, on July 16 when shopping centre security staff were alerted to Vickers and another unknown male attempting to steal from Iceland.
She said a security guard followed the pair and saw Vickers stealing food from Greggs as the other male acted as lookout. Ms Haugstad said Vickers was confronted and escorted from the centre but the incident turned violent.
She said: “Mr Vickers threatened him ‘I will put holes in you, I will kill you’. Once they were outside Mr Vickers put his forehead against [name of security guard] offering violence. Another member of the security staff intervened. He pushed Mr Vickers in an attempt to stop him from harming the other security guard. Throughout this incident Mr Vickers had his hand in his pocket as a threat of violence that he had an implement on his person.
“Once he was pushed Mr Vickers lost his balance and fell to the ground. He stood up and said ‘did that feel nice and sharp’? He began to laugh. [Name of victim] checked his torso area and realised he had been struck with what appeared to be a sharp instrument.”
The court heard police arrived on scene and arrested the defendant on a bench on Corporation Road. The prosecutor said the defendant was seen gesturing and making a stabbing motion on CCTV before he tried to dispose of the scissors.
Ms Haugstad said the defendant made no comment in police interview but later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of a bladed article. The court heard the offending puts Vickers – who has six convictions for 15 offences – in breach of a conditional discharge.
Defending, barrister Kelleigh Lodge said the defendant has been on remand at HMP Durham and it is his first stint in custody. She asked for credit for his guilty pleas and said he has very little recollection of the incident.
She added: “He is genuinely sorry for his behaviour. He was going through quite a difficult time. He didn’t have any income and was living on the streets. He knows that is no excuse hence his guilty pleas.”
Ms Lodge said while on remand he has been working with the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team (DART) and the mental health team. She said he has a job in the prison in waste management and is looking at completing further education in custody.
Addressing the defendant, Judge Francis Laird KC said: “[Name of victim] bravely intervened to help the security guard. You stabbed him with a small pair of scissors to his torso. Although the injury was not a serious one he was faced with the position that he had been stabbed by someone who he believed to be a drug addict. The obvious fears must have arisen that he’d been stabbed with something like a needle. It must have been a worrying experience for him.”
Vickers, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 12 months in prison. Judge Laird extended Vickers’ Criminal Behaviour Order preventing him from entering the shopping centre. He said it will run for five years.
Source – Teeside Live
