Dover drug addict Daniel Martin in crimewave to pay off £5k dealer debt
by Paul
Hooper
A drug addict launched a one-man mini crimewave - ripping off
pubs, shops and garages to try to pay off £5,000 in debts to
dealers.
Daniel Martin, who lost his job as a roofer because of a
drink problem, also stole his father's credit card to scam free
alcohol.
And the 28-year-old conman, of Laureston Place, Dover, took his
partner's car without permission and drove it - despite being drunk
and banned.
He twice handed over credit cards at pubs in Canterbury and
Faversham and ran up bar tabs of £90 and £40, but left without
paying.
And when he wasn't "bilking" petrol stations, he was ordering
cigarettes and tobacco from shops in the Ashford area - pretending
to pay with a credit card but then running off.
Martin's crime spree came to an end when he was stopped for
drink-driving and was brought before Canterbury Crown Court to face
more than 30 offences.
But a judge told Martin he had "blown his chance" of
getting community help to tackle his cocaine and drink habits by
going on the run from justice.
Martin admitted or was convicted in his absence of offences
including fraud, criminal damage, thefts, assault, making off
without payment, taking a car without consent, driving while
disqualified, failing to surrender to bail, drink-driving and
driving without insurance.
He was jailed for a total of 18 months.
The judge, Recorder Colin Reese QC, told him: "This became a
mini crimewave as a result of a mixture of alcohol and becoming an
habitual user of cocaine. That maybe an explanation, but it is no
mitigation."
Drug addict Daniel Martin
was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court
Jim Harvey, prosecuting, said in April last year he had
gone to the Cricketers Pub in St Peter's Street, Canterbury, at
4.30 pm with friends and asked the barmaid for a tab - leaving a
bank card as surety.
"He ordered a number of alcoholic drinks and by 7.30pm members
of staff noticed he was helping himself to serve himself with
drinks by leaning over the bar. Because of his behaviour, he was
asked to settle his £90 bar bill."
Staff tried to use the card, but it would not work and Martin
then snatched back the card, shouting: "Yeah and I'll do this in
another pub as well" before running away.
Mr Harvey said a barmaid chased after Martin and stopped him in
the High Street when he agreed to go to a cashpoint machine and pay
with a different card, but that revealed he had no money.
Martin was arrested, but claimed he believed a friend had put
money into the account - he then twice jumped bail to avoid going
to court.
On May 12, he went to the Four Horseshoes Pub,
in Graveney, Faversham. He again left his father's stolen bank card
to pay for a £40 drinks bill, but also disappeared without
paying.
Mr Harvey said: "The landlord Simon Jull noticed that Martin and
his friend were missing and immediately tried the bank card - but
it was blocked."
The prosecutor said the landlord then saw Martin outside the pub
sitting in a Ford car - and challenged him – but that led to a
street bust-up in which a friend of the landlord, Paul Heaton, was
punched in the face by Martin.
The landlord managed to snatch the car keys, but Martin kicked
his way inside the pub and grabbed two balls from a pool table as a
weapon before the keys were retrieved.
He was later stopped for drink-driving, but refused to give a
sample for analysis. Police then checked records and
discovered he had been banned from driving for three years in
2007.
Martin had also been driving a car he had taken illegally
from his partner, taken fuel without paying at a supermarket petrol
station.
The prosecutor said Martin had also gone into several shops
in Stanhope, Ashford and New Romney ordered tobacco - but left
after pretending to pay with a credit card.
Martin told police he had been attacked with a baseball bat
because he could not pay drug dealers and had stolen from shops and
stores to pay off the debt.
09/01/13
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