Drunken thug went on supermarket rampage at Sunderland Asda and attacked man at Illusions nightclub in 11-day crime spree

David McBeth, 30, can be seen in CCTV footage taken at the branch in Ryhope, Sunderland, smashing bottles and piling a trolley high with alcohol.

Newcastle Crown Court heard McBeth was drunk when he was approached at the store by the manager after he was seen putting joints of meat into a carrier bag.

The items were taken off him and he was told if he wanted them he could pay for them before leaving.

He then picked up four bottles of whiskey, before waving one of them above his head while shouting aggressively.

The manager took the bottle from him and it smashed on the floor. Mr Wardlaw said that during the course of the struggle the rest of the bottles were also broken.

McBeth shouted aggressively that he would "take what he wanted" and "I will ****ing glass you".

At one point McBeth struck a shop worker with one of the bottles, causing a small cut to his back.

To prevent the situation from escalating McBeth was allowed to leave the shop, before the doors were locked.

But McBeth then kicked the doors and threw bottles at them, causing a panel to smash, to the cost of £300.

The shop was forced to shut for the rest of the day, losing £14,000 as a result.

McBeth committed the offence in June of last year during an 11-day crime spree.

He'd earlier left a man with a bleed to his brain and an eye socket fracture after an argument at Illusions nightclub in Sunderland city centre turned violent.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how the victim was talking to a taxi driver outside the club when McBeth approached him and delivered a single blow from behind.

This knocked the victim, who required hospital treatment and surgery, to the ground, where he fell unconscious.

The court was told how the man, himself drunk at the time, only realised he had been attacked when he woke up the next morning with injuries and no recollection of what had happened.

It was eight days later, on June 24 last year, that McBeth, who was eventually arrested for the first offence after being identified from CCTV, launched a second unprovoked attack.

Prosecution barrister Kevin Wardlaw told the court how McBeth had witnessed an incident between a customer support officer and a couple in the midst of an argument at The Bridges Shopping Centre in Sunderland.

Despite being in no way involved in this serial offender McBeth, who has 32 convictions for 60 offences, struck the customer support office, knocking him to the ground, before fleeing the scene.

Mr Wardlaw said: "The defendant had approached the victim and delivered the blow for no apparent reason before running away."

As a result of this attack, the officer suffered a fractured cheek bone, permanent nerve damage and risked losing his eyesight, though this did not happen.

In a victim personal statement, the victim of the first attack, spoke of the "significant financial impact" the attack had on him as he was left unable to work.

He also said the assault had made him "anxious to go out" and had a negative impact on his social life.

McBeth, of Bevan Avenue, Ryhope, Sunderland, had earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of GBH and robbery.

Jailing McBeth for four years, Judge Robert Adams told him: "In just over a week you committed three very serious offences while under the influence of drink and drugs."

Defending, Vic Laffey, told the court that McBeth's life took a turn for the worse after the end of a long term relationship.

He told the court: "While he is in custody he has undergone a detoxification course and is drug free.

"He is working with the drug and alcohol service."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

How to subscribe to the print edition

It’s easy to subscribe to your local newspaper. We have arranged a special 20 per cent off subscription offer for people to take advantage of. Visit www.localsubsplus.co.uk, choose the newspaper title, the type of subscription and enter your details.