"I'll be waiting for you": Thief's threat to Tesco guard after spraying him with insect repellent

A suspected thief launched an attack on a Tesco security guard by spraying insect repellent in his face. Li Chean carried out the assault during a string of crimes including jumping from an upstairs window in a mobile phone shop after being locked inside following his theft attempt.

His crime spree was interrupted when officers, who were investigating another of his offences, found him in the street and subsequently arrested him. Due to his arrest, he missed the birth of his twins.

Liverpool Crown Court was informed on Wednesday, that one of Chean's victims, Sephin Xavier, received an alert on his phone on the morning of May 30 when his bank card was declined at JandR News on Green Lane in Tuebrook. He then realised a bag containing his personal items had disappeared from his home on Green Lane.

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CCTV later implicated Chean in the failed purchase attempt.

Suzanne Payne, prosecuting, revealed how the 33 year old from Gardner Road, went to Mobile Tech on West Derby Road around 7pm on July 9 to demand a refund for a phone he claimed he had bought there. When employee Hammad Hameed inspected the phone and found a fault, Chean "became angry and demanded his money back", reports the Liverpool Echo.

Chean proceeded to make his way behind the shop counter to try and snatch another mobile from a display case, in the process causing damage. He shoved the shop worker and "shouted and screamed" at him while attempting to prevent the theft.

The quick-thinking Mr. Hameed managed to lock the front door, but Chean grabbed the staff member's personal phone and dashed upstairs to a storage area. He was then spotted escaping through a window before fleeing from the scene.

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He carried out another burglary on July 21 at an address on Ellel Grove, making off with items valued at £970 after getting in through the kitchen window, his hood over his head wearing gloves. A pilfered pillowcase stuffed with food snatched from the property's shared fridge was later found abandoned nearby.

Come August 12, at the Tesco Express on Queens Drive, West Derby, security guard William Smith confronted Chean for stuffing goods into his bag. A scuffle over his rucksack ensued, resulting in the officer being pushed into an aisle.

As he made his exit, the would-be thief sprayed fly spray into his face and threatened "I'll be waiting for you" before fleeing.

In the early hours of September 2, a man was caught on a Ring doorbell camera while breaking into a Vauxhall Corsa owned by Maria Savvidou on Rossett Street. He managed to steal a set of house keys from her car and later attempted to use them unsuccessfully to enter her property.

Police officers who came to view the surveillance footage spotted the culprit, Chean, approaching them and recognized him from the video. Upon arrest, Chean was found carrying an identification card belonging to Kevin Sterling, which had been stolen from Sterling's wallet in his van while he was collecting parcels from Tuebrook News.

Chean has notched up 20 previous convictions covering 30 offences, with his latest run-in with the law leading to a community order handed down in July for two counts of theft. His rap sheet includes past convictions for burglary and possession of class A drugs with intent to supply in 2016.

During court proceedings, his defence counsel, Gareth Roberts, told the judge: "This is a series of mean offences, during which Mr Chean has caused a large number of people a great deal of distress, inconvenience and fear. That is not lost upon him. He is sorry for everything he has been charged with."

Roberts also noted: "The sad irony is that Mr Chean is not typical of those who come before the courts charged with this type of offending. This is at odds with the way this man presents himself.

"Sadly, he has for most of his adult life fought a battle against class A drugs. In recent years, he has seen his life unravel spectacularly as a result of losing that battle."

"His academic record is excellent. He obtained multiple qualifications at school and after school, including specialist qualifications in welding and engineering. He has, at times, held excellent jobs in welding offshore on oil rigs and wind turbines.

"Sadly, his increased usage of cocaine became vice like in its grip. Heroin and crack cocaine have seen him lose his job and put his relationships with his partner and family under massive strain. They have begged him to get help.

"He was homeless, living on the streets and spending his time under the influence of class A drugs or attempting to acquire them. He committed these offences having totally failed to rid his life of drugs.

"He is sorry for the distress and inconvenience he has caused his victims. He recognises that what he did was wrong. He has taken the first steps to rehabilitate himself.

"He is now drug free. He has been on remand since the 5th of September. He has detoxed. For him to remain drug free for six weeks is a positive step in a particular direction.

"He has also sought help for his ADHD. It may well be that that condition has been a factor in his inability to cope with certain situations and rid himself of drugs.

"He is already in the process of securing work on his release. Due to his skills, there is not a shortage of job opportunities for him offshore. He would hope to be able to obtain one pretty quickly.

"He has reconciled with his parents. More significantly for him, he has become a father for the first time - his partner giving birth to twins on the 4th of October.

"He desperately wants to be a father to them, but he must stay clear of drugs. It may be that the fact he is now a father will give him the motivation and stability he needs."

Chean admitted two counts of burglary, attempted burglary, assault, criminal damage, theft from a motor vehicle, fraud and handling stolen goods. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for two years and five months and handed restraining orders preventing him from contacting the complainants for five years.

Sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: "I accept that you are undoubtedly someone with intelligence and ability. I hope you will, in the future, once again be able to put those attributes to good use, as you have done previously in your working life. You now, of course, have family responsibilities in the shape of two small children. I hope very much that you can turn things around."

Of the assault, the judge added: "It was actually very vicious. You are lucky that it was charged at the level it was charged at."