South Tyneside Magistrates told ex-soldier who 'fell off the grid' went on theft spree to fund crack habit

Dillon Lawson, 29, of Victoria Road, near Chichester, South Shields, pinched an estimated £1,500 of goods by running into outlets, grabbing stock and fleeing.

He targeted retailers including Next, Tesco, Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Asda in South Shields, Boldon Colliery, Jarrow, Whitburn and Washington.

Lawson, who has 44 thefts or kindred offences on his record, began his latest offending on Monday, December 16, and it ended on Saturday, February 15.

At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to 18 counts of theft from a shop.

The court was told he stole £56 of alcohol from Asda, at Boldon Colliery, on December 16, and £36 of chocolate from Morrisons, in Dean Road, South Shields, on Sunday, December 29.

On Sunday, January 5, Lawson swiped £100 of chocolate from Heron Foods’ branch in Jarrow, and five days later made off with £60 of items from a South Shields service station.

He struck next at Heron Foods, in South Shields, taking £11 of bacon on Monday, January 13, and on Thursday, January 16, he stole £116 of chocolate from a town branch of the Co-op.

Three days later, he took £15 of meat from Sainsbury, in Stanhope Road, South Shields, and on Friday, January 3, it was £48 of chocolates from the Co-op, in Mortimer Road, South Shields.

The next day, Lawson made off with £280 of diffusers from Next’s branch in Waterloo Square, South Shields.

He then took £120 of chocolates from the Co-op, in Mortimer Road, South Shields, on Sunday, February 2.

A day later, he returned to take £98 of bacon, and on Wednesday, February 5, he stole legs of lamb, valued at £36, from Sainsburys at The Galleries shopping centre, Washington.

On Thursday, February 6, he twice stole from Tesco’s branch at Simonside, South Shields, taking £228 of Lurpak butter and £122 of chocolates.

The same day, Lawson travelled around five miles to take £187 of chocolate from the Co-op in Mill Lane, Whitburn.

Four days later, he stole £14 of steak burgers from Heron Foods, in South Shields, and on Friday, February 13, he took £34 of diffusers, again from Next in South Shields.

His spree ended after he made off with £96 of diffusers, again from Next.

The court heard Lawson owes almost £10,000 from past fines and costs.

David Forrester, defending, said Lawson had spent four years in the Army and was at “some kind of a loss” since his discharge.

Mr Forrester added: “The genesis of these offences is drugs, at the moment it’s crack cocaine. He fell off the grid.

“A lot of these stores don’t have security. He walks in and walks out, it’s never face-to-face with people.”

Magistrates ordered Lawson be assessed for a drug rehabilitation programme and remanded him into custody to appear in court via video link on Tuesday, February 25.