Thief broke woman's hip and left second unconscious to steal £16 meat

A thief barged two elderly shoppers to the ground after stealing £16 worth of meat from Iceland. Stephen Wray, 23, hid a frozen leg of lamb up his jumper before fleeing the busy supermarket in Peterlee, County Durham.

CCTV shows the serial shoplifter running out of the store while being chased by a security guard on April 4 this year. Wray is seen shoving an elderly woman off her feet while the second victim is knocked over in the doorway.

The first woman, aged 71, suffered a broken hip while the second woman was knocked unconscious when she smashed her head on the ground. Several witnesses tried to tackle Wray who fled the scene at around 3pm.

Officers from Durham Constabulary arrested Wray at his home in Peterlee two days later and found him so drunk he had passed out. Bodycam footage shows cops trying to wake Wray who was slumped on the floor.

When he woke up Wray launched an attack on a female officer and bent her fingers back. Footage then shows Wray being helped to his feet before headbutting a second female officer.

An audio recording of his interview shows Wray replying “no comment” to all police questions relating to the assaults. An officer tells Wray: "You stole property from Iceland and as you fled the store you knocked over two elderly females causing serious injuries to one and actual bodily harm to the other.

"She [the first victim] has actually got a broken hip which she didn't have before this incident in Iceland. This is a 71-year-old lady. Do you have any remarks for that?"

Wray replies: "No comment."

The officer says: "The second one outside the shop, she's bumped the back of her head and she's briefly lost consciousness. Again how do you feel about being responsible that?"

Wray replies: "No comment."

He admitted two counts of assault, two counts of assaulting a police officer, and theft. Wray was jailed for three years and eight months when he appeared at Durham Crown Court.