Barnsley dad sentenced after punching shop owner and stealing £30 worth of cheese and chocolate
“You chose to drink your money away rather than provide for your son”
A dad who stole £30 worth of cheese and sweets from a convenience store has been sentenced.
Paul Kenmuir, aged 49, of Allatt Close, Barnsley, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, October 9.
Kenmuir stole £30 worth of spread cheese, chocolate and two packets of sweets from Karanvier Singh, the owner of a Premier Convenience store in Barnsley, on January 23, 2026.
Mr Joseph Bell, prosecuting, said: “Mr Singh confronted him, and followed the defendant outside where somebody else became involved who ended up on the floor.
“While outside, the defendant punched the shop keeper twice, then tried to get away.”
CCTV footage displayed in court showed the defendant pushing Mr Singh as he tried to escape the shop.
Kenmuir was arrested a few weeks later, the court heard.
As a result of the incident, Mr Singh felt “scared”, and “fearful of violence”.
Mr Bell said: “The victim felt he had to shut up the shop and lock it”.
Mr David Hewitt, defending, told the court that Kenmuir previously had an addiction to cocaine, which began after a bereavement in 2024.
He mentioned he has a “serious medical condition” related to his lungs, and “sleeps at night with an oxygen mask”, as well as having type 2 diabetes.
Mr Hewitt said: “Mr Kenmuir is not a well man.”
Outside the convenience store, Mr Singh “hit the shop keeper over the head” with a bottle in an attempt to stop Kenmuir from getting away, the court heard.
In Mr Hewitt’s submissions, he told the judge that the defendant has a “history of work” and is “a proud man”, mentioning he has “no relevant previous convictions”.
Judge Harrison gave 25 per cent credit for Kenmuir’s guilty plea, and said to Kenmuir: “What you seem to fail to appreciate is that you are in the wrong here.
“You chose to drink your money away rather than provide for your son”.
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