Homeless man threw tin of corned beef at Leeds police vehicle to get locked up
A desperate homeless man threw a tin of corned beef at a police vehicle so he could be locked up.
Darren Wainwright said he was hungry and cold so wanted to be arrested, and told Leeds Crown Court: “I could have eaten the corned beef, but I would have had to get another tin.”
The 58-year-old appeared in court this week from HMP Leeds, where he was being held on remand. He admitted three counts of criminal damage and burglary of a non-dwelling, when he smashed his way into a Home Bargains shop to steal food.
Officers had seen Wainwright sat outside the Gledhow Wing of St James’s Hospital in the early hours of August 19. He asked the officers: “Do you know where corned beef island is?”
He had the tin of food in his hand. With the police heading into the hospital, they heard a bang and went back outside and saw that he had thrown the tin at the vehicle causing damage to the passenger side. He was arrested.
Wainwright then put a car window through on Compton Crescent in Harehills, late evening of August 22, and smashed a kitchen window to a property on Beech Crescent in Gipton on the night of September 3.
But he was also caught on CCTV smashing the front door of the window at Home Bargains at Crossgates Shopping Centre overnight on September 1, crawling inside to gather food items before leaving.
Mitigating, Stephen Smithson said Wainwright had been prescribed an anti-psychotic drug which was having a positive effect on him.
He said: “He is well known to the police. He does not want to be released because he has nowhere to go.”
But Wainwright also shouted to the court: “I wanted someone to come and help me. The only way was to get into trouble. I did it on purpose. I was cold and hungry.
“I could have eaten the corned beef but I would have needed to get another. A tin of corned beef does not last me two minutes.”
The case was adjourned by the judge, Recorder Paul Reid, until October 30, so full details of Wainwright’s circumstances can be ascertained.