Sutton thief who stole wallet from exchange shop caught when he returned with ID to sell phone
A Sutton thief who stole a wallet from an exchange shop counter was caught when he returned shortly afterwards with his ID to try and sell his phone.
Gavin Beades waited until staff in the CEX store on Low Street were distracted before swiping the wallet, which contained £100, on September 18, 2023, said Declan Austin, prosecuting.
The owner returned and checked CCTV so when Beades returned with the ID needed to sell his mobile phone he was identified to the police.
He was also approached by a police officer who advised him to put his dog on a leash on Low Street, on November 19, last year.
Once the officer discovered Beades was wanted he searched him and found he was carrying an extendable baton.
At first Beades claimed it was a walking stick which he needed after breaking his femur but later admitted he carried the weapon for his own protection.
He also tried to hide a lump of crack cocaine in his mouth during a police raid of his home on July 7, 2022.
And on October 1 2023 he was caught found with 3.5 grammes of cocaine.
Nottingham Crown Court heard he has 31 previous convictions for 68 offences. He was jailed for 18 weeks for burglary in 2020, and received a 14-week suspended sentence in 2019 for possessing a blade.
William Shelley, mitigating, said Beades is “trying to step onto the road to recovery,” and that a drug rehabilitation requirement “will give him the chance to help himself onto that road.”
Beades, 44, now of Juniper, Tamworth, Staffordshire, admitted possessing an offensive weapon, theft, and two counts of class A drug possession at previous hearings.
“You certainly know how to talk the talk," Judge Stuart Rafferty told him. "The probation service is impressed by your knowledge of the terms to paint yourself in the best light.
“If you seriously can’t understand how selfish your addiction has made you then in my judgment what is about to happen will fail.”
The judge said “there might be some hope” for Beades and his partner if they agreed to seek separate help from a substance misuse agency.
On Tuesday, Beades received a 12-month prison term, suspended for 18 months, with 40 rehabilitation days and a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement.