A mum-of-three who was caught trying to steal children's clothes from a High Street retailer stabbed two security guards who tried to stop her. Claire Newman attacked David Bailey and Ian Grogan with a Stanley knife during the incident in a Next shop.
The injuries sustained on Mr Bailey's arm required 20 stitches to fix, while Mr Grogan sustained a hand injury. Newman, 34, also scratched Mr Bailey's jaw and bit his other arm.
Appearing in court yesterday (May 31), Newman wept in the dock as she was jailed for six years and five months over the attack. Her sentence also included a pair of thefts when she stole designer handbags from Selfridges in Manchester, during which she assaulted a security guard there, the Echo.
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Prosecutor Jonathan Duffy said Mr Bailey and Mr Grogan spotted Newman stealing baby clothes in the shop in the Liverpool suburb of Speke and they managed to prevent her getting away. However, the brave pair were not planning on calling the police, they just wanted to take a picture of Newman so they could ban her from the store.
But after initially following them Newman became aggressive and agitated. Mr Duffy said: "She shouted that she would stab David Bailey and it transpired that she had a Stanley knife on her person and she stabbed Mr Bailey, causing him a nasty injury on his forearm."
Mr Bailey required 20 stitches to his arm. As for Mr Grogan he required eight stitches in his hand after the blade caught him during a scuffle.
Newman admitted to wounding Mr Bailey with intent and wounding Mr Grogan without intent. She also pleaded guilty to theft and possession of a bladed article.
Both security guards have said that the incident had made them and their colleagues more nervous about doing their jobs. Alongside that, Newman was also sentenced at court for crimes committed in Manchester six weeks before the attacks in Next.
Back then she stole designer handbags from the Selfridges story in Manchester back on February 1 and February 7 2022. She was caught by staff the second time and then she assaulted a security guard who was trying to escort her from the premises.
Kate Morley, who was defending, said Newman was addicted to Class A drugs and had begun to steal to try to address her debts. Ms Morley said Newman, who is a mum of three, had only one conviction as a 16-year-old and had then gone through 18 years of her life without offending.
Back in 2016 she went through a miscarriage and her partner took his own life in the aftermath. After that she became addicted to drugs and, while she was able to address her addiction, the death of her father a few years later caused her to relapse and try heroin for the first time.
Faced with footage of what she had done to Mr Bailey and Mr Grogan, Ms Morley said: "She is sickened, disgusted and deeply distressed by the person on that screen. She does not recognise herself."
She added: "Her reason for carrying that blade was for removing clothing tags. It was not intended to be used as a weapon - but of course when one carries weapons it is a choice and they could be used that way."
The judge, Denis Watson QC, said that while Newman may have not taken the blade out with the intention to injure someone, it was clear by the time she slashed Mr Bailey she knew how she was using it. Sentencing her, Judge Watson said: "Although I am told the reason for you carrying the blade was to remove security tags, it was there.
"You threatened to stab Mr Bailey with the Stanley knife and then you carried that threat out. I cannot accept the submission that you lashed out wildly, you lashed out purposefully."
Newman, of HMP Styal, was jailed for six years and five months.
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