A 44-year-old man from Southampton has been convicted of assaulting an emergency worker and shoplifting offences at Southampton Magistrates Court yesterday (28 Feb)

Steven Wood, 44, of Wavell Road in Southampton was sentenced to two months in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting a police officer and subsequent shoplifting offences.

It comes after two Police Community Support Officers were on routine patrols in the Witts Hill area of Southampton just before 10pm on Friday 25 February. They spotted Wood, who is a prolific and well-known shoplifter, entering a Tesco Express on Witts Hill.

Steven was seen to be heading directly out of the store with a bag containing items such as fish and meat products, rather than towards the till area. The officers then engaged with him, before he became aggressive and violent towards them, resulting in one officer being assaulted.

He was subsequently arrested and charged with assaulting an emergency worker and theft from a shop.

Appearing at Southampton Magistrates Court yesterday (28 Feb), Steven Wood pleaded guilty to both offences and was sentenced to two months imprisonment.

As a result of his conviction, he activated a previous suspended sentence for previous shoplifting offences and was handed a further 24 week sentence; resulting in him being jailed for eight months in total.

A spokesperson from Hampshire Constabulary’s Western Investigation Department, said: “Steven Wood has presented a persistent threat to the community for a prolonged period of time. The community is now safer while he remains in prison.

“Hampshire Constabulary continually seeks to bring people responsible for committing crimes to justice. A PCSO was simply doing his job and looking to protect that community. Fortunately he suffered no lasting injury.

“We are glad that the courts have seen fit to protect the community and the police, the protectors of the community, in this way.”