Ex-armed robber stole DVDs from Mansfield to get sent back to prison

A former armed robber stole from a Mansfield supermarket in order to get send back to prison because he “simply had enough” of being homeless and hungry, a court heard.
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Anthony Dargue made no effort to conceal the fact he was stealing the £47 DVD box set, from Sainsbury’s, Mansfield, at midday, on December 29.

“Staff noticed he was walking back and forth with it, then he went outside,” said prosecutor Robert Carr. “He was detained and the police were called.”

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Tim Haines, mitigating, said it was “one of the most unsophisticated shop thefts ever recorded” and Dargue deliberately drew attention to himself.

“It’s a blatant act because Mr Dargue wanted to be arrested and charged,” he said.

“He’s quite philosophical. He is homeless and has relied on food banks and the generosity of others to help him survive.

“In his own words this morning, he said “I have simply had enough.”

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“He says “I was a genuine criminal because I wanted to be a criminal. Now I am a criminal out of necessity.”

“He has convictions for burglary, significant assaults and an armed robbery.

“He has not been caught with drugs, he simply has no food.”

The court heard the theft put Dargue in breach of a six-week suspended sentence, from September 2018, for shoplifting, and his post-sentence supervision.

“When he was last released from custody he was released, in effect, to a park bench,” said Mr Haines.

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“It’s his hope and wish that he can utilise services within the prison environment to put himself on the first rung of the ladder to find accommodation.”

Dargue, 41, formerly of Dozen Drive, and now of no fixed address, admitted the theft and breaches, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Friday.

The six week sentence was activated and four weeks for the theft were added. He was ordered to pay a £115 government surcharge.