Swift justice against shoplifter who assaulted police officer

A man has been jailed for 22 weeks for stealing a bottle of vodka and assaulting a police officer while he was being arrested.

Lee Brown (pictured below), 34, of no fixed address in Scarborough but originally from Whitby, appeared at York Magistrates’ Court on Friday (1 December 2023) where he pleaded guilty to theft and assaulting an emergency worker.

 

 

The incident happened at around 4.25pm on Wednesday (29 November) when CCTV operators spotted Brown running from Tesco on Westwood, Scarborough, towards the town centre.

When officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team arrived to speak to him, he became obstructive and attempted to run off.

He was detained a short distance away, during which he assaulted one of the officers by hitting her in the face with an arm.

A bottle of vodka was recovered.

Sergeant Jamie Lord, from Scarborough Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:

“This is a satisfying outcome and shows the collective determination to crack down on retail crime alongside our community and business partners.

“Brown is a persistent nuisance in town with a blatant disregard to the police and the criminal justice system.

“If you behave like this, you’re only going to end up in one place: behind bars.”

Superintendent Rachel Wood, Commander of Scarborough and Ryedale Police, said:

“It is completely unacceptable for our officers, police staff or any emergency worker to be assaulted while simply doing their job serving the public. 

“The officer who was hit in the face is receiving support and is thankfully not badly injured.

“She and the whole team involved in this incident are a credit to North Yorkshire Police.”