Serial offender hit female petrol station worker with shopping basket while stealing to feed his crack cocaine habit

Jordan Martin’s drug craving caused him to strike her accidentally during a tug-of-war when he tried to flee with goods from Esso’s outlet in York Avenue, Jarrow.

Martin, 28, of Sheridan Road, Biddick Hall, inflicted swelling to her head and damage to two fingers on her right hand during his assault on Tuesday, September 20, a court heard.

After falling back into substance abuse, he also burgled a Sainsbury’s outlet in Binchester Street, Simonside, and stole from it five times between Saturday, November 30, and Monday, December 19.

And on Thursday, December 1, he pinched a mobile phone from a worker in a borough outlet of retailer Lidl.

Martin was put behind bars for 26 weeks after pleading guilty to assault by beating, burglary, six theft charges and other matters at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutor Elizabeth Winchester said: “He was known to the injured party at the Esso garage, having attended on previous occasions.

“She approached him, suspecting he was attempting to steal items. He became aggressive and was verbally abusive.

“He told her to leave him alone, and then went to the exit and grabbed items and tried to take those items.

“There was a struggle with the injured party, who was struck on the head by the basket, and there was pain and swelling and injury to two fingers.

“At Lidl, he stole a mobile phone from an employee. He also targeted Sainsbury’s a number of times.”

District Judge Zoe Passfield heard Martin has a criminal record of 115 offences, of which 92 are for theft, from 32 previous convictions.

He committed his latest crimes while subject to a post-sentence supervision order, following his release from a prison term last May.

The court heard he had complied well with the order until September, since when he failed to keep a single Probation Service appointment.

David Forrester, defending, said: “It’s a crack cocaine addiction, that’s the top and bottom.

“That is why his record is what it is and why there’s been shop thefts. It’s to sustain his addiction.

“There’s a video of the service station theft. As he left the store, the lady grabbed the basket, there was somewhat of a tug of war.

“There was bruising, he has made off. The guilty plea was entered on a reckless basis, he was holding the basket.

“He is a personable young man. He stole for a specific reason, and that was for crack cocaine.”

Judge Passfield jailed Martin for eight weeks for assault, six weeks for the Lidl theft and seven days for failing to surrender to custody, to run concurrently.

He was jailed for 12 weeks for burglary and 18 weeks for the Sainsbury’s thefts, both concurrently to each other but consecutive to the other sentences.

And he was given a seven-day concurrent term for breaching his post-sentence supervision order, and must pay £100 compensation to the Esso employee.

Judge Passfield imposed a 12-month restraining order to prevent Martin attending the Sainsbury’s branch.

There were no court costs.