Man whose mum died went on drunken crime spree, smashing shops and trying to steal charity box

A man reacted to the death of his mother by going on a drunken crime spree, damaging shops at an out-of-town shopping area in Loughborough. A few months later he threatened a female member of staff at Tesco Express in Mowmacre Hill, Leicester, attacked two police officers and stole a little boy's bike in Scraptoft.

Leon Williams, 33, appeared by videolink from prison at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (June 26). The court heard the first incidents happened around the north of Loughborough late at night on Sunday, September 23 last year, when he was drunk and grieving for his mother.

He went to the McDonald's restaurant in Warwick Way, which was open, and tried to grab a charity collection box before fleeing empty-handed. He also went to the Willowbrook Park shopping area off Derby Road and attacked various businesses, which were closed.

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He smashed a window of the Burger King - causing it to have to stay shut for several hours and causing about £500 of damage, damaged a door at The Range, and pulled sealant off a window at the Aldi supermarket in Belton Road before kicking at the glass.

On Friday, February 23, this year he committed a string of further offences at the Tesco Express convenience store in Leicester, where Williams filled a shopping basket with items worth £12.90 and then noticed a female member of staff keeping an eye on him.

He told her: "What do you think you're watching me for?" and swore at her.

Prosecutor Sally Bedford said: "He was very close to her face and being aggressive. She took his basket and he followed her, continuing to be abusive, calling her various unpleasantries.

"He was told he would not be served and picked up the items and walked out."

She said Williams returned to the shop a while later and threw some change at the woman's feet, swore at her again and took more items, worth £4.60, without paying.

He then returned a third time, still being aggressive, and Leicestershire Police were called. As the officers tried to get him in the back of their van he kicked one in the head and one in the chest.

On Thursday, March 21, he stole a young boy's bicycle from outside a house in Scraptoft. The boy's mother recognised Williams and called the police but the bike, worth about £1,000, was never recovered.

Willliams pleaded guilty to theft of a pedal cycle, three counts of attempted burglary, one attempted theft, using threatening behaviour, two assaults of emergency workers and two thefts.

Anita Mehta, representing Williams, of Yeoman Lane, Leicester city centre, said her client's offending was down to drunkenness and that his time in custody - in connection with other offences - should lead to him ending his alcohol addiction.

She said: "He's in custody until the end of October and he'll come out very much with a clean slate."

She said that as well as reeling from the death of his mother in September, he had been failing to take his medication for schizophrenia. She added that despite having no recollection of the September offences, he accepted what he did in his police interview and apologised to the officers.

Gareth Roberts, chair of the bench, told Williams: "Putting it all together, we do believe this does cross the custody threshold."

Williams was given a 12-week sentence, suspended for 18 months, and also ordered to pay the little boy £1,000 and the Tesco employee £50.