Shopkeeper, 60, hurt tackling Walsall store raider

Miss Surinder Kaur had already grabbed the liquor from Gareth Dixon as he tried to leave without paying for it, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told yesterday.

But the 34-year-old returned to Mr Booze in Blakenall Heath, Walsall, shortly afterwards and snatched the £18.99p Jack Daniels from the counter again, said Mr David Lees, prosecuting.

He continued: "For the second time Miss Kaur went after the defendant and grabbed hold of his shoulder bag but the strap broke and she fell to the floor, fracturing her collarbone."

The label from the bottle became detached from the bottle during the incident and was found by a witness near the scene, the court heard.

A forensic examination carried out revealed the finger prints of Dixon on it, concluded Mr Lees.

The defendant was tracked down and arrested on September 28, two weeks after the theft, when he explained he had walked round the streets drowning his sorrows with the stolen whiskey.

He said he was depressed after being laid off and had started taking heroin again when he had committed the offence but was now back 'on the wagon' and in full time employment at a Network Rail hub, it was said.

Mr Gurdeep Garcha, defending, said: "He was mortified when told that the lady had injured herself. It was the last thing he had intended to happen."

Father of two Dixon from Wolverhampton Road, Bloxwich, who had previous convictions, pleaded guilty to the September 13 theft and was given a 12 month community order with 120 hours unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay the victim £750 compensation.

Judge John Warner said: "This was a very unfortunate situation.

"There are many cases of thefts from shops but it is not very often that they result in someone receiving a nasty injury.

"This was the direct result of the lady trying to prevent a crime from being committed.

"This was not something you foresaw was going to happen and I accept that you are remorseful."