'Bizarre' Leeds bakery thief stole Easter cake worth £2.99 and threatened sales assistant with knife

Andrew Fawcett pointed the weapon at a sales assistant at Karpaty Bakery, in Armley, before running off with an Easter raisin cake without paying for it.

The 30-year-old was jailed for eight months after pleading guilty to theft and possession of a bladed article in public.

Leeds Crown Court heard Fawcett went into to the bakery on Town Street at 11.40am on April 12 this year with his hood pulled up.

Jessica Randell, prosecuting, said the sales assistant was working on her own.

Fawcett picked up the cake and went to the counter to ask how much it was.

The woman told him the cake cost £2.99 and held her hand out for money.

Fawcett, of Oban Terrace, Armley, instead took out a Stanley knife and pointed it towards her.

The woman screamed and the defendant ran off.

She ran after Fawcett but ended the chase when she realised the bakery was unoccupied.

Police were called and a CCTV image of Fawcett inside the shop was obtained.

The defendant was identified after the image was put on Facebook in an appeal to catch the cake thief.

Michael Walsh, mitigating, said: "He could not provide an explanation as to why he committed this offence.

"It doesn't make any sense.

"He could have simply walked out with the cake.

"There were no demands for money or any other items.

"What is does mean is that he finds himself in a situation where an immediate custodial sentence must follow."

Judge Christopher Batty described Fawcett's offending as "bizarre".

He said: "You could as easily have walked out with the item you took.

"You produced this knife in order to take an item valued at less than three pounds.

"The serious element of this is that you were carrying a knife around, and you produced it to this woman who was working in the shop.

"She would not have known what you were going to do with it at the time.".