A man threatened staff with a syringe after trying to steal chocolates, leading to his arrest and a suspended sentence for previous offenses
Freeman, who has a history with heroin, was trying to make a run for it with about £25 worth of chocolate. The security team stopped him, but he got a bit aggressive. By the time the police showed up, he had already been let go after making those threats.
Fast forward about a week, and the police finally caught up with him. He admitted to stealing but denied the assault charge against the security guard. There was supposed to be a trial, but guess what? He didn’t show up because he was high on drugs that morning. So, he got found guilty by default.
When he went to court, his lawyer argued that he felt threatened by the security guard who had grabbed him. Freeman claimed he was just trying to defend himself. He also missed a bunch of appointments for a community order he was under for having knives in public. The probation folks were done with him since he barely showed up.
His lawyer said he felt set up to fail because of the order’s requirements. Freeman mentioned that being on heroin really messes with your head and body. He had been clean for two weeks and was hoping for a break. But the magistrates weren’t having it. They gave him a five-week suspended sentence, warning him that he’d go to jail if he messed up again. He also had to pay some costs related to the trial. What a rollercoaster, right?
