Axe-wielding Shoplifter Jailed After Death Threat to Manager

A shoplifter who brandished an axe-handled walking stick and threatened to kill a shop manager has been jailed for 18 months. 🚨

Dean Lewis, 48, burgled a shed in Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, at 8:20am on January 15, stealing a bike and power washer worth hundreds of pounds. Police later spotted him riding the stolen bike while carrying the power washer.

The court heard Lewis then went on a shoplifting spree, taking Toblerone and beer from a Barry Tesco before entering a One Stop Shop where he had previously been caught stealing.

When the shop manager commented about Lewis “needing to pay for his items this time,” the defendant pointed what appeared to be an axe towards him. Lewis then grabbed a basket, filling it with £79 worth of food items, stating he would “take what he wants” before threatening another staff member, saying: “Next time I see him he’s dead.”

Upon arrest, police found Lewis in possession of a four-foot walking stick with a sharp pointed end and shovel, along with three blades including a pen knife, pencil knife, and Stanley knife.

Lewis, of Ffordd y Cambria, Sully, pleaded guilty to burglary, using threatening/abusive/insulting words or behaviour, possession of a bladed article, and theft from a shop. He has 32 previous convictions.

Defence counsel Clare Wilks told Cardiff Crown Court her client believed he had been “spiked” the day before and had “little memory of events.” She explained Lewis had suffered childhood trauma but had maintained employment as a foreman in a fisheries factory until his grandmother’s death, after which he lost his job and resumed drug-taking.

Recorder Andrew Hammond sentenced Lewis to 18 months imprisonment. He will serve half before being released on licence. ⚖️