Man Stole Beef That Reminded Him Of Dead Grandmother

Shoplifter John Casey has a rather unique reason for stealing a £12 beef roast from his local supermarket: It reminded him of his dead grandmother.

He was caught on camera last October stealing beef, and was summarily arrested for theft. The 51-year-old denied any wrongdoing, saying that he was rather moving the meat out of his line of sight because it was giving him “flashbacks” about his grandmother, who passed away when he was still a child.

Tried over two days by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court, the unemployed father of eight’s case cost taxpayers an estimated £20,000. He was found guilty in less than an hour by the deliberating jury.

The presiding judge acknowledged that the case was unusual. “Ordinarily this is a case that would be dealt with in the lower court but he has elected trial,” he said. “He has the right to be tried by a jury and he has been.”

The judge mostly let Casey off with only a conditional two year discharge, but extended an ominous warning:

“You have caused a huge amount of unnecessary expense to be incurred by electing trial and you have got no means from which you can cover the costs of this expensive trial.

“If you come in front of me again I will be a lot less sympathetic.”

Casey’s odd behavior was explained by his attorneys as a result of his struggles with depression and anxiety, for which he takes medication.

The case was wrapped up pretty quickly, but the best part is that the trial is full of awesome one-liners like:

“It will be up to you to judge how the meat effected his state of mind.”

“After I picked the meat up and was walking around the shop it was the blood in the bag that was bringing it on.”

“The blood in the bag was bringing it on, it was like I was there, like it was living it. The more I was looking at the blood, the more it was real, surreal.”

“The defendant accepts placing the joint of beef in his bag deliberately.”

Sound off! Does it make sense that John Casey stole beef because of his grandmother?

[Image via: Gregory Gerber / Shutterstock]