A man with 140 criminal offences on his record has avoided jail after using stolen bank cards. Lee Whitfield from Cardiff, who once served a six-year prison term for a brutal robbery, was back in court over a fraud to fund his cocaine habit.
Whitfield, also known as Lee Doubler, used the cards early last May after his acquaintance burgled them from a home in Partridge Road, Roath. Bags were stolen from tenant Sophie Lindsey and her visiting brother Harry. Their bank cards were passed on to Whitfield, who tried to go on a spending spree in Splott.
He attempted to use the cards more than 12 times across shops including the Ali Baba and Tesco stores on Clifton Street. Six of the attempts were successful as Whitfield spent a total of £137.80. He was eventually caught after police spotted him on Broadway — wearing the same jacket captured by CCTV when he had been in one of the shops.
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Prosecutor David Pinnell told Cardiff Crown Court: "He saw the police and ran from them. They followed him to a house in Newport Road, where he was detained by police and arrested. Police identified items from burglaries including Sophie Lindsey's bank card and the passport of Harry Lindsey. The defendant made the comment: 'I haven't done anything since I came out of prison 10 years ago and now I'm getting done for wearing some d***head's jacket.'"
Police found a small wrap of cocaine in Whitfield's pocket which he admitted was his. He claimed he had borrowed the jacket and the cannabis inside was "nothing to do with him", which police accepted. He denied any involvement in burglaries by his acquaintance David Thomas, who was jailed for four years and eight months at another hearing.
46-year-old Whitfield, of Adamsdown Lane, admitted fraud and possession of a Class A drug. He has been in court 56 times for 140 offences including 54 related to thefts. He was jailed for six years in 2004 after stamping on the head of an Algerian refugee he had followed from the Splotlands pub and stealing his cash and phone.
The court heard Whitfield's offending has slowed down "rapidly" in recent years. His two latest convictions came in 2010 for theft and 2014 for taking a vehicle without consent. Jeff Jones, mitigating, said his client is no longer "what he used to be like in the 90s" when he committed most of his offences. He added that Whitfield receives £150 a week in benefits and struggles with anxiety, depression and gout.
Mr Jones said "the wheels came off" for Whitfield last year when a long-term relationship ended. He resorted to the "pernicious" use of Class A drugs as a "crutch" to deal with the trauma, the court heard. A probation report found that Whitfield, who has been living with his mum, poses a low risk of serious offending and medium risk of general offending.
Whitfield was sentenced on Tuesday — a day later than scheduled, having not turned up on time to the original hearing. "When you came into court yesterday you were bordering on verbally abusive to me," said the judge, Recorder Neil Owen-Casey. "You were due at 2.30pm and you arrived at 4.20pm. I am still in the dark as to why you were not here... Now I have an explanation that your clothes were wet. I think it is part of your disorganised lifestyle."
The defendant, who spent Monday night in custody, nodded. The judge continued: "The amount stolen here, which perhaps makes the crime even more pathetic, really, is £137.80. You find yourself in immense trouble for such a small amount of money."
Recorder Owen-Casey said he would suspend an eight-week prison term for 12 months on the recommendation of the probation service. Whitfield must complete 15 rehabilitation days and come to court once a month for a review of his progress. He must also pay a £187 fine and a £128 victim services surcharge.
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