Cocky drug addict who terrorised Leeds Sainsbury's told staff he would stab them with needles

Peter Haley got away with more than £1,000 worth of items from two Sainsbury’s stores on Brewery Place and Soyo Square, targeting each multiples times in the space of a month.

He also stole from Poundland in Armley and Romart Superstores in Harehills. Among the items taken included chocolate, ham, butter and meat. Usually accompanied by another male, he hit some stores several times in a single day between March and April of this year.

Leeds Crown court heard that he threatened to stab staff with the needles if they tried to stop him, and during one thieving spree, removed his face covering, looked into the CCTV and said: “I’m Peter Haley and I’m robbing this shop.”

Appearing via video link from HMP Lincoln, where he was being held on remand, he admitted 17 counts of theft. He also admitted driving while banned, without due care and attention and without insurance, following a crash while he was driving a van in Derbyshire.

In addition, the 45-year-old admitted two assaults on emergency workers, one of common assault, after he was admitted to hospital and became aggressive, one of failing to surrender to custody, one of failing to attend a drug assessment, and possession of a class A drug.

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Mitigating, Timothy Jacobs conceded that Haley had been in trouble “daily” and had 59 previous convictions for 222 offences. He added: “The majority of offending throughout his life has been drug related. There’s very little time throughout his life when he has got any significant breaks [in offending].”

He said that Hayley struggled after the death of his son and was unable to cope, so began taking more drugs and committing more crime to feed his addiction. He said he was now on a methadone prescription to combat his heroin use.

Judge Kate Rayfield said of the 27 offences Haley faced: “Even by the standards of your record that’s a pretty impressive number.” However, she took into consideration the grief he suffered over the loss of his son.

She gave him a two-year community order, a 12-month drug rehabilitation requirement, 30 rehabilitation days and a 12-month driving ban. She warned him: “I have done my half of the bargain, the rest is up to you.”