Serial Offender’s Crime Spree Ended with Four-Year Imprisonment
A notorious serial offender who spread fear among shop staff during a string of thefts and robberies has finally been brought to justice. Michael Winner, 37, would use his intimidating physical presence to intimidate employees, and when that failed, he resorted to threatening them with the stolen bottles of alcohol.
Winner, who has a lengthy history of violence and dishonesty, even went as far as openly revealing his intentions to the shop workers before helping himself to food and liquor. His campaign of criminal activities took place over a week in Redcar, where he committed six shop thefts shortly after being given a community order for a previous series of thefts.
During his crime spree, Winner targeted various stores, including Farm Foods, Morrisons, and Tesco in Redcar. On March 16, he brazenly stole bottles of spirits and jars of coffee, instilling fear in the staff with his intimidating behavior. Just days later, Winner escalated his criminal activities by threatening employees with a knife in a shop on Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough. He stole alcohol and vaping products, leaving the victims traumatized.
The most alarming incident occurred on March 21 when Winner returned to Tesco, stole more alcohol, and committed a robbery. Brandishing his knife, he pointed it towards a female worker while demanding all the money from the till. Rapidly responding to the threat, a male worker pressed the panic button on his wrist, prompting Winner to climb onto the till area butchering the glass partition.
The terrified employees managed to flee to the store room and watched Winner’s actions unfold on the shop’s CCTV. Fortunately, he was apprehended shortly after during another incident. When arrested, Winner claimed to have no recollection of what happened.
At Teesside Crown Court, Winner, who has no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to a range of charges, including robbery, possession of a bladed article, six shop thefts, and three counts of threatening behavior. His defense attorney, John Nixon, attributed the crimes to Winner’s long-standing drug addiction, acknowledging that a significant custodial sentence was warranted.
Judge Howard Crowson, noting the perpetuity of Winner’s thefts and the intimidation caused by his imposing stature, sentenced him to a total of four years and six months in prison for his latest spree of offenses. Addressing Winner, the judge emphasized the gravity of his actions and noted that while the crimes could have been classified as robberies due to the intimidation involved, he could only sentence him according to the charges brought against him.
With this verdict, the community can finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing that this dangerous serial offender has been apprehended and will face the consequences of his actions.
