Career Leeds criminal with 250 offences to his name freed but handed ban from shop chains
A career criminal with more than 250 offences on his record has been freed from prison, but has been banned from three chain shops across West Yorkshire.
Peter Haley brazenly stole steaks and other items from two Sainsbury’s stores and a Co-op in Leeds, before smashing his way into Waterstones during a late-night burglary.
But the judge at Leeds Crown Court gave him one final chance to prove himself, deferring sentence until December and letting him out of HMP Leeds where he was being held on remand.
The well-known thief has now been handed an interim criminal behaviour order (CBO) which bans him from every Sainsbury’s and Co-op store in West Yorkshire, along with Poundland.
It comes after the 46-year-old he admitted five counts of thefts from shop, common assault, assault on an emergency worker and burglary.
He first entered the Sainsbury’s on Boar Lane on May 14 and stole steaks worth £37, then the Sainsbury’s on Brewery Place the next day to take steaks worth £25.
Two days later, he returned to the Boar Lane shop, was recognised and asked to leave. He pushed a member of staff out of the way who tried to stop him. He was with another person and began taking salmon and Haribo sweets.
The worker continued to follow them around and repeatedly asked them to leave, but they ignored them and gathered up the items before eventually leaving.
Haley, of no fixed address, was arrested on May 20 but gave a false name. At the police station he bit an officer’s hand after becoming obstructive and abusive.
On May 26 he walked into Co-op on Burley Street with another male and left with £50 worth of Lurpak butter.
Finally, on June 12 he and two others were spotted on CCTV loitering outside the Waterstones shop on Albion Street at 1.43am. They then forced open the door and entered.
Haley fled when the alarms went off, with the other two males grabbing items before running out, prosecutor Rhianydd Clement said.
Haley was arrested the next day after being recognised on the CCTV. He was still wearing the same clothes. He refused to answer questions during his interview but denied it was him on the Co-op CCTV.
He has a staggering 64 convictions for 257 offences, including 111 for theft and 13 non-dwelling burglaries. Last year he was given a two-year community order for threatening to stab Sainsbury’s staff in Leeds with a needle.
Mitigating, Martin Morrow said the CBO was not opposed, but asked for him to be given a final opportunity. He said drugs had blighted Haley’s life but he was now not only free from heroin, but also free from methadone.
Judge Kate Rayfield said: “I will give him one more chance. I think it’s worth a try. If I get egg on my face, I will regret trying.”
She told Haley that the only reason why she was allowing him to be freed was because he was now drug free but warned him that if he breaches the CBO, or commits other crimes, he will be locked up.
Haley was told the return to Leeds Crown Court on December 17.