Aggressive Leeds beggar attacked security guard after busker theft
An aggressive beggar who stole money from a busker then attacked and racially abused a security worker who tried to intervene.
John Cunningham had been asking passers-by on Albion Street for cash on October 19 last year, then took the money from the performing musician.
When the security guard tried to restrain the 49-year-old, he headbutted the man and made racist remarks. When he was later arrested, he was found to have crack cocaine on him.
He appeared at Leeds Crown Court this week via video link from HMP Lincoln. He admitted racially-aggravated ABH and possession of Class A drugs.
Cunningham, of Shakespeare Approach, Burmantofts, also admitted theft, two common assaults and a further charge of possessing Class A drugs from an incident on June 16 of this year.
In a bizarre move, he knocked on the door of a man’s home in Leeds and asked if he could come in to wash a cut to his hand.
After the man let him in, he stole two jackets, one of which contained £300 and a bank card. The man called his daughter who turned up with another man who chased Cunningham.
They cornered him, but he picked up a metal stand and threatened to assault them. Again, he was found carrying drugs when he was arrested, this time it was heroin.
The court learned that Cunningham has 28 previous convictions for 68 offences, including 10 violent offences. He was given a suspended sentence in March for robbery.
Mitigating, Leila Taleb said Cunningham was now determined to conquer his drug addiction, which was at the root of his offending.
The judge, Recorder Brian Whitehead, jailed him for 34 weeks, and activated 12 months of his current suspended sentence, meaning an overall sentence of 20 months and two weeks.