Prolific Black Country criminal held knife at throat of man with one leg and stole relative's car in spree

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard on Tuesday that drug abuse was blamed on the bad behaviour of prolific criminal Anthony Smith who has links to Willenhall, Wednesfield and Wednesbury.

The 39-year-old, who has previous convictions, was sentenced after pleading to guilty to a string of of crimes including possession of a blade, burglary, robbery and 16 thefts relating to the the period July 4 to September 29.

Sentencing him Judge Chambers KC said: “This case is about a series of unpleasant offences. There is a robbery, then he had broken into his sister’s house, then he committed 16 theft offences where he has gone into a shop and helped himself.”

“Repeatedly and with immunity he has gone into these shops, taken things and just walked out without paying for them.”

Judge Chambers told Smith, of Willenhall: “You are a prolific offender for offences of dishonesty, no doubt as a result of your addiction to class A drugs. There is also your history of dwelling house burglaries and robbery. You robbed a vulnerable man, pulled out a knife and threatened to cause him serious harm. It was terrifying for the victim.

“You were arrested soon afterwards then while you were on bail you burgled your sister’s house.”

“These are serious offences. As the prosecutor has outlined, shop thefts undermine the very existence of such shops which provide services to the public and terrorise the staff. It is simply not acceptable. In my judgement these serious offences call for a custodial sentence.”

The court heard that Smith was a third strike robbery offender.

Ms Maninder Chaggar, prosecuting, said on July 8 the defendant summoned a man he knew to have one leg to a meeting at a Willenhall block of flats where he demanded he hand over his bag and wallet. During the incident he pulled a kitchen knife from his waistband and held it to the terrified man’s throat as well has punching him up to seven times causing grazes to his face.

The man, a wheelchair user, reported him to the police and when he was arrested Smith claimed the man owed him money and had handed him the bag as surety. The complainant told officers he felt “scared, upset, angry and disgusted” by Smith’s actions.

The defendant 16 times snatched goods from shops - mainly from the One Stop convenience store in Silverton Way, in Wednesfield, and once from a Home Bargains branch between July 4 and August 28. The goods valued £1,100.

While he was still on bail Smith went to his relative’s home in Harden, Walsall on September 24 and banged on the door and when his demands to be let in were ignored he threw a brick at a glass door to get inside. The distressed woman fled to a neighbouring property . He was then seen outside holding a kitchen knife.

Ms Chaggar said afterwards the woman received a Facebook message from someone telling her that Smith was spotted in her Nissan with false number plates. The matter was reported to the police who saw him and another person in the vehicle. Smith fled on foot to a car park, but was arrested. The number plates had been switched with some stolen from another car.

The judge said he had taken into account Smith’s mitigation including that he had come off drugs while on remand in prison and given discounts for his guilty pleas.

For all his latest crimes Smith was jailed for a total of six years. The court heard he had convictions dating to his teens and had spent time in a young offender’s institute.