Trio walked out of Durham JD Sports with £2,000 worth of stolen clothes

A teenager has been sentenced after stealing thousands of pounds of sportswear in what was described as a "brazen" theft.

Patrick Monghan, of Labre Park, in Londonderry went into JD sports in Durham's Arnison Centre, alongside two of his family members, and stuffed merchandise into his clothing before walking out in front of staff.

Durham Crown Court heard Monghan, Shane Stokes, and another youth who cannot be named, took part in the theft where around £2,000 worth of goods was taken from the store.

Stokes, one of Monghan's co-accused, also assaulted a female manager as she attempted to stop him during the theft on 23 December 2022.

The trio left the shop, fleeing the scene in a Volkswagen Golf before being stopped and arrested by traffic police.

Stolen merchandise was recovered, but some had been damaged by security tags being forcibly removed.

Monghan, 19, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Tuesday 24 January via video link from HMP Durham.

Stokes was also due to be sentenced on the same day for theft and assault by beating, but failed to attend court. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The court heard how the three young people entered the JD Sports store in the Arnison centre last month and selected items of sportswear.

Christopher Bevan, prosecuting, said: "Monghan tucked items under his arm and the youth stuck items down his shorts. Stokes then concealed clothing within his clothing. They tried to leave but were challenged by the female store manager."

The court was also told how Stokes assaulted a woman by pushing her to the face as she attempted to retrieve the stolen clothing.

He managed to break free and the trio left the scene in a Volkswagen Golf, but were eventually stopped by traffic police.

Mr Bevan said that a search was carried out and £2,000 worth of sportswear was recovered, some of which was damaged.

Monghan, who was serving a suspended sentence for robbery at the time of the offence was said to be a "prolific offender."

Defending Monghan, Jennifer Coxon said the three accused were all related and committed the offence with the intention of selling the clothing.

She said Monghan accepted they committed the offence close to Christmas for financial reasons and wanted to sell the items for money to buy presents for family members.

She said: "He accepted that he was in breach of his suspended sentence. At the time of the offence, he had come back to the area to live with his dad over in the Scottish Borders."

Ms Coxon added: "He has led a transient lifestyle and has little education. He is willing to comply with any orders."

Sentencing Monghan, Recorder Thomas Moran, described him as a "prolific offender" and said the theft was carried out in a "brazen way".

Monghan was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders' institution.

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