An employee of the cooperative was injured while stopping him on a cocaine theft

A woman who worked at a cooperative in the village was attacked while stopping a man who was stealing cocaine from the store. Christopher Chapman was in the middle of a drug-fueled heist when the attack took place.

The crime spree began on Friday, May 31, when Chapman, 35, of no fixed address, entered the Lidl supermarket in Gipsy Lane, Leicester, and stole £374 of meat. On Tuesday, June 4, he took four boxes of chocolates from Tesco in Downing Drive, Evington, Leicester and six days later stole £120 worth of items from Tesco Extra in Hamilton, Leicester.

Then on Sunday 16th June he went into the co-op in Scraptoft. Inside he took around £32 worth of meat products but was stopped by a woman working in the shop. He attacked her, injuring her arm, then ran away empty-handed, telling the woman: “I’ll wait for you after work – and I know where you live.”

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The crime spree continued, with Chapman returning to the Downing Drive Tesco where he stole £90 worth of groceries. He admitted attempted burglary, four counts of theft and assault by beating when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday, brought from his cells after about 10 days in custody.

Prosecutor Vishal Patel told magistrates Chapman had 55 previous offenses on his record, mostly involving similar thefts. His last conviction was in May this year, when he was given a suspended sentence and released.

As well as sentencing Chapman for the latest incidents, magistrates were asked to activate the eight-week suspended prison sentence he was given on the last occasion.

Bal Singh, representing Chapman, said his client’s best mitigation was that he pleaded guilty to all the murders. He said: “He told me that during this spree he was high – cocaine.

“Drugs were his big problem. Now he’s in, training and eating well. Mr Chapman is no stranger to the courts and is aware that the suspended sentence is likely to be activated.”

Magistrates sentenced Chapman to the full eight weeks for his previous offenses plus a further six weeks for the most recent offences, making a total of 14 weeks. He was ordered to pay £50 compensation to the Co-op employee after his release.