Thugs jailed after attacking staff during supermarket raid

Wearside pair Danny McGuire, 29 and Bryan Devonport, 32, stole around £80 worth of good from the Asda superstore in Stanley, County Durham in the early hours of December 8 last year.

Appearing via video-link from HMP Durham both McGuire and Devonport pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating each after the attacks on two members of Asda staff.

They had previously pleaded guilty to theft at a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court on January 8.

Jonathan Devlin, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court that the two men had entered the Asda supermarket before filling their baskets and attempting to leave without paying.

When confronted, the court heard one member of staff was barged out of the way and knocked to the floor and the other was also assaulted when he tried to intervene.

Devonport, of Borrowdale Street, Hetton, also pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to assaulting two emergency workers.

Mr Devlin told the court that upon their arrest following the incident at Asda, Devonport spat at two different police officers while in custody.

Mr Devlin also told the court that McGuire, of Urban Gardens, Washington, had breached a suspended sentence order by failing to complete unpaid work on September 4, 2018.

Furthermore, convictions for theft and criminal damage of a property in Gateshead and theft from a motor vehicle from another property in Gateshead on September 7 last year, were taken into account during Friday's sentencing hearing.

Mr Devlin told the court that McGuire has 28 previous convictions and Devonport has 48.

Alec Burns, mitigating for Devonport, spoke of his drug addiction and said that in the two weeks before these offences "seven of his friends died of drug overdoses".

Mr Burns said of Devonport: "He now realises what he has to do."

He said that before he was remanded in custody, Devonport had his own flat and had trained and worked as a carpet fitter, a role he could return to on the condition that he was not to take anymore drugs once he was freed.

Nick Lane, defending McGuire, said: "He has asked me to express his remorse.

"He wants to address his drug issues.

"He wants to rebuild bridges with his family."

Addressing Devonport first, Recorder Andrew Haslam said: "You have a terrible record."

He added: "Public servants deserve the protection of these courts."

He sentenced Devonport to seven months' imprisonment and McGuire to 17 months in jail.