A Bolton man has been sent to prison for two years after a string of thefts, racial abuse, assault, and breaching a criminal behaviour order.

Lee Merrick, of no fixed abode, was convicted of 14 counts of theft from a shop, two counts of racially aggravated harassment, threatening behaviour, two counts of common assault, and breaching a criminal behaviour order at Manchester Magistrates Court on July 1.

The court heard how the 37-year-old, who appeared via video link from Liverpool Prison, had 29 previous convictions for 117 offences.

In 2011, Merrick was jailed after he held a gun to a taxi driver’s neck in Breightmet and threatened a shop assistant in Tonge Moor.

Prosecuting barrister Aubrey Sampson said Merrick had committed the latest offences in February and March of this year, stealing more than £1,000 worth of items from B&M, Nisa, Card Factory, and Home Bargains.

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Items stolen by Merrick include toothpaste, chocolate, cakes, steaks, a teddy, hand cream, air freshener, and cleaning products.

Merrick’s largest individual haul was on March 3, when he stole steaks, chocolate, toothpaste, beef, cakes, and steak worth £225.19 from a Nisa store.

On March 6, the court heard that Merrick entered B&M in Breightmet twice.

On his first visit, the on-shift security guard asked him to leave the store, and attempted to escort him out – though Merrick barged him and continued to steal air freshener and cleaning products from the store.

He returned an hour-and-a-half later, stealing more cleaning products and pushing the security guard, causing him to stumble.

The court heard that the incident had left the security guard ‘feeling wary’ and in fear that he would return.

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On the same day, Merrick entered a Nisa store and was observed taking items without paying.

Outside the shop, he shouted to a staff member that he was going to have him’, calling him a ‘P***’ and said he would punch him, the court heard – leaving the man feeling sad and in fear of being assaulted at work.

Mitigating, defence barrister Rebecca Caulfield said Merrick had a difficult upbringing and fell into drug use, remaining a heavy drug user since his teenage years, going in and out of prison and shoplifting to fund his drug habit.

Caulfield said Merrick was now ‘drug-free’ according to regular drug tests, and that he was a ‘trusted member of the prison population’, with a job cleaning in the prison. He is also seeking therapy while in prison.

Sentencing, Judge Walsh said Merrick had a ‘poor record’ with a ‘catalogue of offences’, but added that ordering consecutive sentences for each offence would be ‘disproportionate’.

Judge Walsh sentenced Merrick to be imprisoned for two years in total for all offences.

He will be eligible to be released on licence after serving one year in prison.

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.