Delivery driver who won £100,000 on the lottery avoids jail for stealing £15k ... trends now
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A thieving delivery driver who once bagged a £100,000 lottery win has avoided jail after being caught stealing a £15,000 haul of trainers.
David Swatman, formerly of Manchester, was able to walk free from court despite admitting to stealing the costly haul of shoes from his employers, FootAsylum.
The 43-year-old had previously won a small fortune on a scratchcard in 2018, vowing to use the cash to follow his beloved Liverpool FC, as he posed for pictures in a custom shirt with 'winner' emblazoned on the back.
But a court heard how he the former lottery winner repeatedly swiped boxes of shoes during his delivery runs from FootAsylum's depot in north Wales to its hub in Manchester.
Swatman avoided an immediate prison sentence on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a single charge of theft worth £15,450 from between August and September 2020, with a judge saying the criminal - who has 22 previous convictions to his name - had shown 'genuine remorse'.
'Winner': Convicted criminal David Swatman - who has 22 convictions to his name - avoided jail after admitting to stealing trainers worth more than £15,000, with a judge declaring the thief had shown 'genuine remorse'. Swatman is pictured in a custom shirt after his £100k lottery scratchcard win in 2018
Prosecutor Daniel Lister told Manchester Crown Court how FootAsylum launched an investigation after discovering a deliver discrepancy on September 9, 2020.
Five parcels and two bags of trainers never arrived in Manchester after leaving the Broughton depot, the court heard.
CCTV later
