Drugged-up dad stole ham sandwich after spraying sufferer with fireplace extinguisher

A dad has been jailed after spraying a supply driver with a fireplace extinguisher and stealing a ham and cheese sandwich.

Daniel Yates, 33, was underneath the affect of medicine on the time and mentioned he has no reminiscence of the assault, Liverpool Echo studies.

Liverpool Crown Court heard this week how Yates focused the employee as he made a drop-off at a Dunne’s comfort retailer on Shaw Lane in Prescot at round 6.30am on July 24, 2023. Yates was mentioned to have “caused issues” on the identical store within the two months previous to the assault, leaving workers feeling “unsafe”.

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The supply driver had been dropping off newspapers when Yates attacked him with the extinguisher. He then stole the sandwich and a keyring, with a mixed worth of £4.68.

Oliver Saddington, prosecuting, described how the theft got here round quarter-hour after the assault. The sufferer had returned to his van to search out Yates trying to enter it, earlier than he demanded: “Give me your f***ing keys.”

Yates then “held up a fire extinguisher in a threatening manner” and sprayed the contents into the worker’s face and eyes earlier than chasing him across the car, damaging the wing mirror within the course of.

The complainant managed to arm himself with a metallic bar from contained in the van and the defendant dropped the extinguisher, at which the supply man picked it up and sprayed him again earlier than driving off.

The incident was caught on CCTV. Yates has a complete of 42 earlier convictions for 61 offences.

Suzanne Payne, defending, instructed the courtroom: “Without wishing to minimise the offence, it is quite short lived. It is 74 seconds. The defendant is remorseful. He has told me that if he could turn the clock back then he would.

“He wish to apologise to the motive force for his behaviour. At that point, he was in fairly a spiral.

“He had come out of jail, he had no work. He had been a self-employed gardener, and he had his personal enterprise.

“After coming out of custody in May 2023, he broke both of his ankles following a fall. He started to steal in order to provide for himself.

“In relation to this incident, he says he doesn’t keep in mind it. He was underneath the affect of medicine and alcohol, at all-time low actually. He does intend to alter. He tells me that, following his launch from custody, he did discover it tough to reintegrate into society.

“He had nowhere to go. He, at the time of this offence, was in a hostel, struggling and reverting to what he knew – to take more drugs.

“Since his remand, he has not had entry to medication or alcohol. He is beginning to really feel significantly better.

“He tells me that, since his remand, he has been in contact with his old boss, who has started up his own landscaping business. He says he would offer work to him, so that he can be the dad who was a hard working gardener before he started to spiral into drugs and alcohol.”

Yates admitted assault with intent to rob and theft. Appearing through video hyperlink to HMP Altcourse, he was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

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