Northampton man who stabbed Aldi worker over £50 worth of meat and cheese jailed

A Northampton shoplifter who stabbed a supermarket employee so he could escape with £50 worth of stolen meat and cheese has been jailed.
Nicholas Dunne responded to an Aldi worker's request to hand over his shoplifted goods by stabbing him in the leg.Nicholas Dunne responded to an Aldi worker's request to hand over his shoplifted goods by stabbing him in the leg.
Nicholas Dunne responded to an Aldi worker's request to hand over his shoplifted goods by stabbing him in the leg.

Nicholas Dunne, of Gladstone Road, fled from the Aldi supermarket in Harlestone Road in September last year after filling a carrier bag with meat.

But when a member of staff followed the 45-year-old into the car park and told him to hand over the bag, the 45-year-old responded by stabbing the employee in the thigh with an unknown weapon and marking his escape.

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The bag of meat and cheese was worth a grand total of £56.24.

Nicholas Dunne was jailed in 2018 for a similar string of offences, where he threatened staff with knives if they tried to stop him from stealing.Nicholas Dunne was jailed in 2018 for a similar string of offences, where he threatened staff with knives if they tried to stop him from stealing.
Nicholas Dunne was jailed in 2018 for a similar string of offences, where he threatened staff with knives if they tried to stop him from stealing.

At Northampton Crown Court yesterday (January 16), the prosecutor read out a victim impact statement showing how stressful the attack has been for the employee.

The victim said: "Since the stabbing, I have had to undergo tests from my doctor for HIV and hepatitis as I do not know the offender's medical history. I have had to wait months for the results and it has made me anxious

"My injury meant I was unable to exercise or work for weeks. It has also impacted my mental state - I am more mindful of shoplifters and fearful that I may be stabbed again."

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The court heard how Dunne later told his counsel he was "angry" at how his offending had come about. He claims that after he was released from prison in 2019 for theft, he felt he had "no support" from the prison service and soon became homeless and took to sleeping on the streets. This was followed by falling back into drug use.

In fact, Nicholas Dunne was jailed in 2018 for a similar shoplifting spree, where he targeted supermarkets and threatened to stab any members of staff who tried to stop him.But His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo said: "It's unfortunate that you were not given the support you deserved to help you with your addition and your homeless state but I'm afraid that is no excuse for attacking a member of staff who was just doing his job.

"This offence is so serious that only a sentence of immediate custody can be justified."

Dunne was sentenced to 24 months in prison.