Homeless man jailed for violent attack on shopkeeper

Shaun Patrick Tracey was also fined £400 for taking four cans valued at £11.96 from the store in north Belfast on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to common assault and theft.

But a judge said he should have been charged with robbery.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard he went into a Spar on the Antrim Road, took the tins and tried to leave without paying.

He was confronted and then began swinging.

A prosecution lawyer said: “The defendant threw a number of hard punches at a staff member standing in the doorway.”

He was arrested after a police patrol went to the scene.

Tracey committed the latest offences within two weeks of receiving a suspended sentence for interfering with vehicles.

On that occasion he had been attempting to get into a car to sleep for the night, the court heard.

Defence solicitor Una Conway described Tracey as a long-term homeless man with a “tragic” background.

She said he was raised within the care system in London, but came to Northern Ireland due to family connections.

Since then, however, Tracey has developed a chronic dependency on drink.

“He was back on the streets, he stole alcohol to fuel his addiction and then got into an argument with the shopkeeper,” Ms Conway submitted.

Imposing five months custody, District Judge Mark Hamill said: “Placing hands on the member of staff should be a charge of robbery.

“That’s the reality if you engage in violence in the course of a theft.”