Violent grandad, 36, stole from Sheffield man's flat and later attacked police detention officer

A violent thug stole over £1,500 of items from a man he befriended and went on to attack a prison detention officer after his arrest.

Grandfather-of-one Peter Giles, aged 36, stole a number of items and broke out of a flat he was staying in after asking the victim to stay there because he was being ‘threatened by a gang’ on January 9, 2018.

Following his arrest, Giles refused to go to court and punched a detention officer who suffered further injuries from the resulting melee.

The defendant, formerly of Burngreave Bank, Burngreave but now of Bradford, declined to take part in a pre-sentence report because 'he knew he was going to prison' and 'there wasn't much point'.

Rachael Hughes, prosecuting, said Giles stole an Xbox One, console games, films and a variety of items worth £1,569.

"The victim locked him in and said he was going to visit his mother's house and would be back within the hour," she said.

"The defendant then broke out with the items which were never recovered."

Sheffield Crown Court heard Giles attacked a detention officer at Shepcote Lane custody suite in Tinsley following his arrest.

Ms Hughes said: "Arrangements were being made for Giles to be transferred to court and the defendant was abusive to the victim telling him to 'f*** off' and said 'we're not going to court'.

"The victim removed a blanket from him and at that point, he was punched at the side of his face and had to be restrained by other officers.

Speaking about the attack, the victim in a statement said: "I was shocked at the level of violence displayed towards me.

"I had to go to hospital and felt stressed that I left the team short and under staffed."

In mitigation, the court heard Giles had been struggling with drug addiction but had undergone a methadone program and went to live in Bradford with his 18-year-old daughter who has just had a baby.

Sentencing, Judge Dixon said: "You were offered a place to stay and you repaid that kindness by stealing his possessions. You have a horrible record of dishonesty.

"The officer was just doing his job and asked you to get up and you refused to cooperate and swung out and punched him in the face."

Giles pleaded guilty to theft and later handed himself in after failing to turn up to a trial on the assault charge.