A THUG punch, kicked and pulled out a knife on a shop worker after he confronted him for stealing sandwiches from a Warrington store.

Steven Taylor committed the offences while on bail for a separate incident where he had lunged at his neighbour with a knife and threatened him.

The 23-year-old, of Sandy Lane West, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court last Monday facing two counts of affray, threatening a person with a blade, theft from a shop and assault by beating.

Outlining the facts of the case, prosecutor Ian Criddle said the first incident took place on November 3, 2023.

He told the court how Taylor lives in a communal block of flats and was playing music in the early hours of the morning.

A neighbour who was agitated by the noise went up to his flat to ask him to turn the music down.

“The defendant produced a knife and lunged at the victim saying, ‘I am coming for you’,” Mr Criddle explained.

In a statement provided to police, the victim said he ‘froze in complete panic’ and was in fear Taylor was going to stab him with the knife.

The neighbour left the flat but soon after the defendant appeared at his flat, ‘flashing’ the knife outside the door.

Police were called and attended the property at around 3am and were immediately met with threats from the defendant.

“He was arrested, and a search of his address revealed a broken knife behind the cushion of his sofa."

Taylor was released on bail but only months later on February 3 he was involved in another incident.

Mr Criddle said at 1pm the offender entered Stanley Wines store on Gough Avenue, in Warrington, and was witnessed by a shop employee stealing two sandwiches from the store - also caught on CCTV.

The employee warned Taylor to stop and followed him outside the shop where he took hold of him.

The defendant swore at the employee telling him to ‘f*ck off’, before other members of staff joined them outside.

It then took a violent turn as the Taylor began punching and kicking out at the members of staff.

One of the employees managed to retrieve the stole property from him and went back into the shop, where they were followed in by the defendant who began shouting threats, stating ‘I will kill you’.

Taylor began punching out again before leaving the store. He did however return a short while later with a knife which he produced from his pocket and began threatening the member of staff with it.

“The employee tried to grab hold of the defendant to stop him being stabbed,” Mr Criddle added, “Others helped, and Taylor was detained on the ground until the police arrived and he was arrested.

A victim personal statement from one of the shop employees at Stanley Wines was read out to the court which stated how the incident had affected the person ‘mentally’ and that he feels ‘scared every time I come to work’.

Defending, Rose Holland said his client accepted that he had behaved in an ‘appalling manor’ and that he ‘clearly lacks maturity’.

Addressing the defendant before sentencing, Judge Mr Recorder M C Blakey said: “You are still a young man and I hope in due course you will learn your lesson.

“If you carry on the way you are going, you will hurt somebody.”

Taylor was handed an immediate sentence of 18 months in prison of which he will serve half of before being released on licence.