A crook who stole a charity box to feed his drug habit blamed it on being made homeless by his dad.
Kevin Smith's elderly father was fearful of catching coronavirus, so told his 47-year-old son to leave their home.
Just a few weeks later Smith struck at a Tesco store and helped himself to a British Heart Foundation tin.
By doing so he breached three different court orders for recent crimes, including witness intimidation, after he threatened to break a Starbucks manager's jaw and said his friends were coming to "stab him up".
Liverpool Crown Court heard Smith was a user of spice, the synthetic cannabinoid nicknamed the "zombie drug" because of the way it leaves those who take it in a semi-comatose state.
Smith entered the Tesco Express in Skelhorne Street, by Liverpool Lime Street Station, at 7.20am, on May 2.
Jayne Morris, prosecuting, said he asked for some cigarettes behind a counter and a worker turned to get them.
She said: "The defendant reached underneath the perspex glass and stole the British Heart Foundation charity box that was on the staff only side of the counter."
CCTV footage showed the sly crook paying for his cigarettes, hiding the box under his coat and leaving the store.
Smith, of Brooms Grove, Aintree, was arrested on May 5 and initially made no comment to police.
Ms Morris said: "He said he used spice and sometimes forgets what he's done.
"He was then shown the CCTV evidence from the store and he accepted it was him."
Ms Morris said Smith claimed he initially thought he was taking "tips" but emptied around 24 from the box and spent it on "food, drugs and drinks".
Smith was on bail after an incident at Lime Street on January 28, when police caught him with two bags of cannabis.
He admitted burglary, possessing cannabis, breaching his bail and also a suspended sentence and conditional discharge.
Smith has 25 previous convictions for 53 offences, mostly for drugs and dishonesty, including burglary.
Video Unavailable
Click to playTap to play
Play now
He was given a six-month conditional discharge for theft from a motor vehicle in October 2019.
On February 11, Smith was arrested on suspicion of theft and common assault at a Starbucks in Manchester.
He was charged, kept in custody overnight, then bailed, but on February 27 returned to the Victoria Station shop.
The manager recognised him and said he was barred, but Smith replied "f*** you, you fat c***, I will break your f***ing jaw', I know who you are."
Smith said he knew the man was a witness, before saying: "You won't make it into court, my mates are coming from Liverpool and will stab you up."
Ms Morris said Smith claimed he wasn't scared of prison and had been in jails all over the world, then added: "Trust me, you won't be there to give evidence."
The manager rang police and Smith was convicted of witness intimidation in March, after prosecutors dropped the theft and assault.
He was handed six months in jail, suspended for 12 months, plus a home curfew.
Julian Nutter, defending, said Smith was living on the streets after being thrown out of his home of 40 years by his dad on March 3.
He said: "His father, who is an elderly gentleman, decided that he was at threat, and that in those circumstances, due to coronavirus, his son couldn't stay there anymore.
"You will see from the report that the father has gone to some lengths to try and help his son in the past."
Mr Nutter said Smith was a heroin addict and in 2014 his dad paid for an opiate blocker implant, which was the reason he kept out of trouble until 2019.
He said: "Since 2019 he has been addicted to lesser drugs, but nonetheless, he remained an addict of a kind.
"He came to breach that suspended sentence in living on the streets, desperate and homeless, because he was put out of the house where he had lived for many years."
Mr Nutter said given the time Smith had spent on remand, he would only receive a short jail term and the public interest would be better served by him finding a home and getting help.
However, Judge Brian Cummings, QC, said if he spared Smith jail, he would just be releasing him back onto the streets, as there was not any accommodation presently available.
Smith replied, saying he could stay at his sister's home in Melling.
Asked why he didn't go there in March, Smith said his sister was a nurse with two children, who worked shifts at a hospital.
Judge Cummings said he didn't "follow the logic" of why Smith could stay there now, but agreed to adjourn sentencing for enquiries to be made.
Mr Nutter told the court yesterday that Smith's sister could not be contacted.
He said prison was currently "even more of a punishment" because of lockdown conditions and again stressed Smith was "desperate" when he found himself on the streets.
Mr Nutter said the outcome was "predictable" due to his circumstances and said "it's not entirely his fault".
Can you help us keep Merseyside covered?
Judge Cummings said he was persuaded it would be unjust to activate the suspended sentence in full, but jailed Smith for six months in total.
He said: "I accept the burglary was committed in circumstances where you were homeless and I will proceed on the basis it was through no fault of your own."
Continue reading here:
Spice zombie who took charity box says he thought it was tips jar - Liverpool Echo
- The Cranberries' Zombie - the story behind the incendiary song - Louder - April 22nd, 2024
- Chris Riddell on the zombie Tory government falling apart at the seams cartoon - The Guardian - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie grave dating back 4,200 years discovered in Germany, photos show - Miami Herald - April 22nd, 2024
- Steam zombie survival game leaves early access 11 years on, and you've got one week to get it cheap - PCGamesN - April 22nd, 2024
- "Zombie" cicadas with STDs are coming to Virginia - Axios - April 22nd, 2024
- Deathtroopers is the Star Wars zombie horror game I never knew I needed - PC Gamer - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Army VR Reveals The Story In Latest Trailer - Bleeding Cool News - April 22nd, 2024
- Where Infected "Zombie Cicadas" In The US Will Emerge In 2024 - TheTravel - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie anti-abortion laws are menacing American women - The Hill - April 22nd, 2024
- Joe Manganiello to Zombie It Up in Mountain Man Adaptation - Reactor - Reactor - April 22nd, 2024
- Frozen Soul Covered White Zombie and It Rules - MetalSucks - April 22nd, 2024
- Arizona's abortion ban could bring zombie laws back to life in other states - Fast Company - April 22nd, 2024
- Arizona abortion ban shows the dangers of reviving zombie laws - MSNBC - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie fires smoldering near Canadian oil and gas wells threaten production following 2023 wildfires - WorldOil - April 22nd, 2024
- You'll Never Guess Who Doesn't Want to Repeal a Zombie Abortion Ban - The New Republic - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Army VR: New trailer gives a glimpse of the gruesome campaign - MIXED Reality News - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Tests: Is the SAT Back From the Dead? - Fair Observer - April 22nd, 2024
- How likely are you to survive a zombie apocalypse in Connecticut? You may want to travel north - Hartford Courant - April 22nd, 2024
- Missouri Reports 162 New Cases Of Deer 'Zombie' Disease In 2023 - Lake Expo - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Fires Pose Looming Threat to Canada's Oil and Gas Infrastructure - OilPrice.com - April 22nd, 2024
- Rob Zombie Presenting House on Haunted Hill Soundtrack on Vinyl - ComicBook.com - April 22nd, 2024
- Take on Zombie Stormtroopers In This Star Wars Fan Game - IGN - April 22nd, 2024
- The Best Zombie Game of 2023 Has a New Expansion Out Now - Esports.net News - April 22nd, 2024
- Frozen Soul Debuts Frosty Rendition of White Zombie's 'Creature of the - Knotfest - April 22nd, 2024
- 'Dawn of the Dead' at 45: A Zombie Love Affair That Never Died - The New York Times - April 12th, 2024
- Hyper-sexual 'zombie cicadas' infected with bizarre STD fungus will emerge in US - New York Post - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie malls and other retail centers getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times - Chicago Tribune - April 12th, 2024
- 'Zombie' drug xylazine found in cannabis THC vapes in UK - BBC.com - April 12th, 2024
- Taxing health insurance: The Republican zombie that refuses to die - Roll Call - April 12th, 2024
- Fungus-infected Zombie Cicadas with hypersexuality to emerge in the US this year: Expert - Hindustan Times - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Classic Dawn Of The Dead Coming Back to Theaters for 45th Anniversary - MetalSucks - April 12th, 2024
- E-News | 'Zombie cicadas' infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year in parts of US - WVU ENews - April 12th, 2024
- Deadly Zombie Sedative Penetrating The U.K.s Illicit Drugs Market - Forbes - April 12th, 2024
- Seattle Police warn that base ingredient in 'zombie drug' tranq is being sold as standalone pill - FOX 13 Seattle - April 12th, 2024
- Opinion | Today's Opinions: Haunted by zombie law and thrown into abortion time-travel - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - April 12th, 2024
- Rob Zombie Teases 'House of 1000 Corpses' Book With Rare Photos, Original Script and More! - Bloody Disgusting - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie malls getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times - Detroit News - April 12th, 2024
- 2000s Horror Fantasy Is One Of The Most Unique Takes On The Zombie Genre - Giant Freakin Robot - April 12th, 2024
- Mysterious 'Zombie Neurons' Unlock Secrets of Learning in The Brain - ScienceAlert - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie SKUs: What They Are, How They Work & Results - JumpFly PPC Advertising News - April 12th, 2024
- Arizona Reviving Its Zombie Abortion Ban Is Trump's Doing - The Cut - April 12th, 2024
- Hyper-sexual "zombie cicadas" that are infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year - CBS News - April 12th, 2024
- Should we be concerned about zombie cicadas? - WGN Radio - Chicago - April 12th, 2024
- You need to play this underrated zombie shooter before it leaves Xbox Game Pass - Digital Trends - April 12th, 2024
- End the 'zombie' Comstock Act - Star Tribune - April 12th, 2024
- OPINION - Flesh-eating zombie narcotics are on our streets Britain is badly losing its war on drugs - Yahoo News UK - April 12th, 2024
- What Is Xylazine - The Flesh-Eating 'Zombie' Drug Linked To 11 Deaths in The UK? - Times Now - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Cicadas To Emerge In Virginia: What To Know - Patch - April 12th, 2024
- What Is "Zombie Drug" Gripping The UK? - NDTV - April 12th, 2024
- OJ Simpson's Final Film Will Resurrect His Naked Gun Character - As A Zombie? - Looper - April 12th, 2024
- Flesh-eating 'zombie drug' sweeping US is linked to 11 UK deaths - The Telegraph - April 12th, 2024
- Flesh-rotting 'Zombie drug' tranq raises alarm in UK - The Times of India - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Cicadas To Emerge In GA: What To Know - Patch - April 12th, 2024
- What was the first-ever zombie movie? - Far Out Magazine - April 12th, 2024
- Even Will Smith Couldnt Save Zombie Survival Game Undawn, Which Flopped Spectacularly - IGN - March 24th, 2024
- Rob Zombie Recommends This Surprisingly Wholesome Comedy - Dread Central - March 24th, 2024
- Army Writing and the Zombie (Noun) Apocalypse - Modern War Institute - United States Military Academy West Point - March 24th, 2024
- Fatal Fury's Mai Shiranui Is In This Zombie Survival Game For Some Reason - Time Extension - March 24th, 2024
- Should you be worried about 'zombie deer'? | College of Public Health - George Mason University - March 24th, 2024
- 'Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island' Scares Its Way to Blu-ray for the First Time This Spring - Collider - March 24th, 2024
- Rob Zombie hates my guts: GWAR's Dave 'Oderus Urungus' Brockie was a genius, and here's an interview that proves it - Louder - March 24th, 2024
- In the fight against gun violence, Rep. Frost Introduces the Destroy Zombie Guns Act - The Apopka Voice - March 24th, 2024
- Elfriede Jelinek's 'The Children of the Dead' is a historical zombie novel - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - March 24th, 2024
- Germany's Zombie Government Is Fueling the Far Right - The Atlantic - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie Survival Game Undawn Has Crashed And Burned According To A Reuters Report - MMOs.com - March 24th, 2024
- Will Smiths Zombie Game Has Been Hit Harder Than Chris Rock at the Oscars Its Astronomical Budget Was ... - imdb - March 24th, 2024
- Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray (Warner Archive Collection) - Blu-ray.com - March 24th, 2024
- Registration almost here for Dothans annual Zombie 5K Chase - WDHN - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie magic and gambling club Magic Island will come alive again this summer - Houston Chronicle - March 24th, 2024
- Undawn | The $140m zombie survival game starring Will Smith that bombed while nobody was looking - Filmstories - March 24th, 2024
- After 4 years, a cult classic zombie horror manga from Ga-Rei's creator is finally getting an official English release - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- Will Smith's Zombie Game Has Been Hit Harder Than Chris Rock at the Oscars - Its Astronomical Budget Was ... - FandomWire - March 24th, 2024
- "The game literally no one knew existed": The Will Smith Zombie Survival Game is Reportedly a Big Flop and Fans Are ... - FandomWire - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie-palooza --- Get to the biggest undead music event in the latest Dead Island 2 expansion: SoLA - Gaming Trend - March 24th, 2024
- Bournemouth University medical students treat 'zombie attack' in mass training simulation - The Tab - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie car factories on the rise in China as buyers opt for EVs - Financial Times - March 16th, 2024
- Hey, Remember When Rob Zombie Was Going To Direct THE CROW 3? - FANGORIA - March 16th, 2024
- New Walking Dead Twist Shows How The Zombie Outbreak Will Finally End - Screen Rant - March 16th, 2024
- Candid conversations from death row with The Zombie Hunter - Arizona's Family - March 16th, 2024
- Zombie! The Musical - REVIEW - City Hub Sydney - March 16th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero