'I feel like quitting after 30 years in job after shoplifter gang attack' | Preston Crown Court

A supermarket security guard who was attacked by a gang of four after he tried to stop a shoplifter has told a court he feels like quitting after 30 years in the job.

A court heard the officer was set upon as he attempted to prevent a 36-year-old woman walking out of the B&M store in Blackpool with more than £130 worth of food and booze she hadn’t paid for. Three more accomplices outside the shop waded into the struggle during which the woman escaped with the goods and the guard had his £300 smart watch stolen from his wrist.

Mother-of-three Emma Dennison, who described herself to probation officers as a “regular shoplifter”, was jailed after pleading guilty to robbery. One of her friends, 39-year-old Anthony Lynch, was also sent to prison after admitting robbery of the shopping and theft of the watch.

But Preston Crown Court was told the other two members of the group were still wanted and had not been traced.

Abigail Holmes, prosecuting, said the incident started at the exit of the store in Hollyoak Avenue, Blackpool when the security guard spotted Dennison walking out with a shoulder bag of shopping without making any attempt to pay. He confronted her and she refused to hand over the bag. The guard grabbed it and so she went outside to speak to Lynch and he and two others joined in trying to get the bag back. During the struggle the security officer was pushed by one of the men and grabbed from behind by Dennison.

Lynch then helped himself to other items from the shelves before escaping. Dennison got away with the bag of shopping and the guard later discovered his smart watch had been taken from his wrist during the struggle.

In a victim impact statement, read out in court, the guard said: “I’ve been doing security for 30 years and never been in that situation before. I was carrying out my role to stop shoplifting and I was attacked. There was no need for that level of violence. I’ve lost confidence at work. I shut myself off now in the office watching the CCTV. If I see something suspicious, I shout up to others. I now wake in the night stressing about work and what will happen the next day.”

He said he was now actively looking for a different job after what had happened to him that day. He was worried about bumping into the gang and hadn’t felt safe going to his local pub in case they were there.

“They had no right to attack me in this way. I was just doing my job.”

The court heard both Lynch and Dennison had lengthy criminal records. Dennison was serving a suspended sentence at the time of the shop offence for assaulting an emergency worker.

Lynch’s barrister Claire Thomas said her client had “no recollection” of the offence because he was intoxicated. His last offence of violence was more than 10 years ago.

His relationship with his previous partner had broken down and led to him leaving home. His mental health had “spiralled” and he had been drinking excessively as well as taking drugs.

At the time of the offence he was consuming around 250 units of alcohol a week (the equivalent of 14 pints of lager a day).

Lynch had been suffering from mental health issues and had initially only visited Blackpool for two days, but he was unable to get transport back to the Manchester area.

“That led to him being involved in this offending. He has no recollection of it,” she said. “He is remorseful for his involvement.”

Lynch appeared in court via a video link from Preston Prison where he had been on remand since his arrest. This was, said Ms Thomas, his first experience in custody. But he had spent his time behind bars in a positive manner trying to address his alcohol and drug issues, as well as helping other inmates with similar problems.

Barrister Beth Pilling, for Dennison, told the court her client also had little recollection of the incident because she too was intoxicated at the time. It was only after watching CCTV footage of the robbery that she realised the trouble she was in.

Like Lynch she was trying to tackle her substance abuse issues while behind bars and making plans to change her lifestyle when she is eventually released.

Ms Pilling said the death of her partner last November had made a significant impact on her and she had been “swept up” by this type of offending. She had also not been taking her medication for mental health issues at the time of the robbery.

“She doesn’t recall much of what happened. She is remorseful and doesn’t want to find herself in this position again. She realises her lifestyle is not going anywhere for her.”

Recorder Richard Tetlow was told Dennison had committed the robbery just six weeks after being given a suspended sentence for assaulting an emergency worker.

He said she had been spotted on CCTV by the plain clothes security guard trying to leave without paying. He managed to take the bag off her after a struggle, but then she went outside to speak to Lynch and returned with him to try and get the bag back.

In the violent scuffle which followed the group, including two others, retrieved the bag and left. It was only then that the guard found his £300 watch had been stolen.

Lynch read out a letter he had written to the judge in which he apologised to “everyone in the room”. He said: “When I committed this crime I was in a very dark place. I had several mental health issues. I’m not using it as an excuse, but they definitely acted as a catalyst for my behaviour.”

Recorder Tetlow said the effect of the robbery on the guard had an impact on his mental well-being. He had suffered a “very real change in his life and is now seeking to change his employment”.

He sentenced Lynch to 27 months in prison for robbery, but no further punishment for the theft of the watch.

In Dennison’s case the judge said she had no fewer than 40 previous theft offences and had even described herself to a probation officer as a “regular shoplifter”.

He sentenced her to 27 months for the robbery with a further five months for breaching her suspended sentence, making a total of 32 months in prison.