A man with a long crime record looted stores during a Hull riot and received a two-year jail sentence.
Mark Stevenson, a repeat offender, used drugs since he was 18. His addiction greatly worsened over the years. He joined others in senseless, bold looting. Stevenson, 53, admitted to burglaries at Lush and O2 on August 3. He also admitted to burgling Deichmann on July 27.
CCTV showed him entering shops during the violence. He stole items. He kicked glass at Lush to break in. Lush faced £31,862 in repairs and other costs. O2 faced similar expenses.
On July 27, Stevenson and another man broke into Deichmann. People detained him until police came. Stevenson had 85 past convictions. 47 related to theft, burglary, and stolen goods.
His lawyer said his behavior was awful. He felt disgusted by his actions. Stevenson, a father, used drugs and alcohol to cope. He had also been homeless recently. His addiction worsened.
He started drugs at 18 and now is 53. His lawyer called his life very sad. He is now working hard in custody. He truly wants to change for the better. He sees his life as serving smaller sentences repeatedly. He must stay away from drugs to succeed.
He wants to improve his life. He is on methadone. He hopes to be off it when released. Judge Bury said Stevenson was addicted for years. That ruined his life. He committed crimes to pay for drugs.
His life focused on getting drug money. He committed brazen burglaries to achieve this. The Lush and O2 burglaries happened during city violence. The judge called it looting of the worst sort. He exploited chaos to steal.
The shops suffered significant losses. This included damage, stolen goods, and insurance costs. The judge described the burglaries as mindless. He called his behavior empty-headed. Stevenson was in custody for about seven months. He received a two-year jail sentence.