Drunk thief scared mission staff

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/8017239.stm

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A thief who stole money from a faith mission shop in Belfast has been jailed for five years.

Leo Trainor, 47, of no fixed address, whose previous offences include robberies using weapons, stole £150 from the shop on Chapel Lane last July.

The shop assistant said he was drunk and feared he would attack her.

Judge Tom Burgess said that the probation service had assessed Trainor as being a significant risk to the public and of reoffending.

Trainor's record, which dates back to 1983, lists eight previous offences for robberies, mainly of off-licences, using various weapons including a hammer, a hatchet and a steel butchers rod.

Judge Burgess said reports on Trainor showed he had been prescribed mood stabilisers and anti-depressant medication.

Whilst passing sentence, Judge Burgess outlined the fact that Trainor's problems had been identified and were considered treatable.

He also took into consideration the fact that no actual violence or weapon had been used and that the amount involved was modest.