Justice catches up with bum bag thief who escaped court
A thief who somehow escaped from court when due to be sentenced for stealing a bum bag has finally paid for his crimes - with jail.
Canny shoplifter David Sartain deployed his quick-thinking delinquent skills to give authorities the slip when he appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court to be punished on July 8.
The 24-year-old, of Winchcombe Road, Paulsgrove, was due in the dock to be sentenced for stealing an £850 Valentino black bum bag from Flannels in Commercial Road in March 2023.
The disobedient defendant’s shock escape sparked a police manhunt and public appeal to find the at-large thief. A police statement at the time said: “He is wanted following an incident whereby he escaped lawful custody from Portsmouth Crown Court on Monday 8 July.
“Officers have since been following up all lines of enquiry to locate David, and would also like to appeal to the wider public for information relating to his whereabouts. He is believed to be in the Portsmouth area so we are asking members of the public in the local area to share our appeals and report any sightings directly to us.
“We would like to remind people that anyone found to be harbouring David to deliberately obstruct our attempts to locate him may be committing an offence and be liable for arrest themselves.”
Sartain was eventually found before being hauled back to court where he was sentenced for the bum bag theft and shoplifting £1,500 of designer clothes from a TK Maxx store in Winchester in June. He also was punished for stealing £750 worth of coats from a TK Maxx store in Portsmouth and faced the music for escaping lawful custody.
Sartain was handed a jail term of four months.