A SHOPLIFTER who broke out of a prison van and led to a big police hunt in Chester has been put behind bars.

Paul Lupu, 20, of Burnley Lane, Chadderton, Greater Manchester, had denied shoplifting offences committed at Cheshire Oaks when he appeared at Chester Magistrates Court on December 11, 2023.

He was remanded in custody and was put in a prison van to be taken to HMP Altcourse.

But Lupu attacked prisoner escort officers John Haworth and Donna Hughson as he escaped the van and was at large in Chester for several hours.

After the police helicopter and 50 cops were deployed to residential areas of Chester, Lupu was found hiding in a garden and re-arrested.

He later admitted escaping from lawful custody and assaulting two emergency workers. On the day of his trial for the shoplifting offences, he changed his plea to guilty.

Sentencing him at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, February 6, Recorder Mark Cooper jailed Lupu for a total of 22 months.

Myles Wilson, prosecuting, said the shoplifting offences happened on December 5 with two co-offenders, where CCTV had seen him take 11 clothing and accessory items from Michael Kors, totalling £1,419, in the early evening. A member of staff later noticed the items had gone missing.

Struggle

Later that day Lupu returned to Cheshire Oaks and, again with two co-offenders, stole 20 cosmetics items worth £1,677 from The Cosmetics Company Store. Again, a member of staff later noticed the items had been taken.

On December 8, Lupu returned to Cheshire Oaks once more, but a security guard recognised him and called police, and Lupu was arrested.

He denied being the man shown on CCTV.

Explaining the escape on December 11, Mr Wilson said Lupu was in the prison van heading to HMP Altcourse and was seen putting tissue to cover a CCTV camera in his cell.

He was told repeatedly to stop doing that, and eventually the van pulled over at a motorway junction on the outskirts of Chester at 3.20pm so officers could tell him to stop and remove tissue from the camera. Lupu then attacked both prisoner escort officers, in a struggle lasting about 30 seconds and which injured both officers, before escaping. Ms Hughson was later taken to hospital for x-rays.

At about 6.45pm, Lupu approached a woman with her child in Brook Lane, saying he was lost and asked if he could use her phone. She agreed, but after he left the scene, the woman found out there was an escaped prisoner in the area so called police.

The police operation, which located Lupu shortly afterwards, saw 50 officers and the helicopter deployed and cost £7,500.

In police interview, Lupu said he "had not liked being watched by the camera" in the cell and thought the officers were going to attack him.

Mr Haworth, in a victim impact statement, described struggling to return to work, having had "recurring flashbacks", having depression and anxiety, while Ms Hughson said she struggled to see if she could do the job she loved, and did with pride, any more following the attack. she added she had spent Christmas in pain, had been diagnosed with PTSD and did not think she could be the same again.

'Spooked'

Lupu had 15 previous convictions for 31 offences, including driving, dishonesty and drugs matters, and was in breach of his licence for a 14-month sentence imposed in November 2022 for dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

Defending, Alexandra Carrier said Lupu was 19 at the time of the offending and there was a lack of maturity.

He had said he was "spooked" and "it was fight or flight" that led him to escape from the prison van. He had since accepted what he had done was wrong, adding his intention was to return to his family home and call his solicitor.

In a letter written for the judge, Lupu wrote: "I am really sorry for the crimes I have done...I was panicked and scared. I know I have done wrong...please give me a chance at life – I promise I will not reoffend again."

The judge said that only immediate custody was appropriate as he sentenced Lupu to a total of 22 months in prison.