A drug-addled Dundee crook threatened a supermarket manager with a needle during a shoplifting bid for designer candles for his “mum’s birthday”.
Dozy Steven Purvey, 33, placed four candles in his shopping basket, before being challenged.
Purvey, a prisoner at Perth, turned nasty when the manager of Farmfoods on Macalpine Road confronted him.
He had noticed Purvey perusing the aisles, before placing the four large Yankee candles – worth £19.99 each – in his basket.
‘They’re for mum’s birthday’
Depute fiscal Lyne Mannion told Dundee Sheriff Court: “At around 4.50pm on Saturday June 25 the witness saw the accused walking along the aisles.
“The witness is the store manager.
“The accused picked up four candles – Yankee scented candles worth £19.99 each.
“Mr Loftus asked Purvey if he intended to pay for the items, to which he responded ‘they are for my mum’s birthday’.
“He then put two of the candles back and picked up an air freshener.
“The accused tried to leave the store.
“Asked by the witness if he was going to pay, he said ‘no’.
“Mr Loftus saw what he thought was a small Stanley blade down his sleeve.
“Purvey said ‘I will use this’.
“He was allowed to leave the store with the items.”
The “blade” was actually a capped needle.
A decade crime-free
Defence solicitor Ali Short, in mitigation for Purvey, said: “He has had quite a significant period of time of non-offending, between 2010 and 2021.
“His brother died in 2020 and he ended up drinking and using drugs.
“He has no explanation for this behaviour.
“He had the capped needle in his pocket.
“He feels he has had more help with his drug issues in prison than when at liberty.”
Sentencing him to a period of 20 months in prison, Sheriff Alastair Carmichael said:
“What went right for him in 2010? There appears to be no trouble between then and 2020.
“In the last year he has convictions for knife possession.”
Addressing Purvey directly, he said: “You have previous convictions for carrying weapons and knifes without a reason for doing so.
“There is no reason why anyone should subject shop employees to that sort of behaviour.
“I see no option but a custodial sentence.”
Purvey’s sentence was backdated to June last year.
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