Knife-menace thief who raided Portsmouth stores of £2,500 during spree and attacked police is jailed

‘Smackhead’ Luke Rawson, 34, carried out raids on shops across the city from January to December 2022 after walking in and ‘helping himself’ to items before strolling out. The menace was also appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court for fly-tipping and driving offences from when police pulled his van and found a knife inside before he lashed out.

Rawson, of Estella Road, Buckland, committed 18 thefts from stores including primarily from Co-op, Savers and H&M. ‘He entered shops - sometimes with a partner - and walked around stores and helped himself to things before leaving,’ prosecutor Edward Warren said.

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The court heard how Rawson was guilty of fly-tipping on October 27 and November 25, 2020, when carpet and underlay from his white Peugeot van was dumped in Estella Road in October. The following month, mattresses were thrown onto the ground at the Victory Business Centre in the city. Efforts by Portsmouth City Council to contact Rawson proved fruitless with him then issued fixed penalty notices. Court proceedings were lodged when he failed to pay the fines.

On December 1, 2020, police spotted Rawson driving erratically on Eastern Road with him ‘weaving’ while having a defective light. After following his van towards Havant onto the A3(M), officers stopped the defendant. Despite a negative breath test for alcohol, a positive drugs swipe for cocaine was returned. A knife was also found inside the vehicle as officers noticed defective tyres.

‘As he was arrested and attempts were made to handcuff him, the defendant resisted by tensing up his arms. There was a struggle for several minutes with capsicum spray used in his face,’ Mr Warren said.

Despite Rawson being taken to ground he had managed to pull one of his arms away from the officers before a further round of spray was deployed in his face as the three officers were finally able to restrain him. In the police van en route to the station, Rawson spat in the vehicle and became abusive, telling the officers: ‘I hope I don’t see you walking down the street when you are not in uniform.’

Leigh Hart, defending, said Rawson was going to appeal his conviction for having a knife in the vehicle. She told the court Rawson’s life ‘spiralled’ after his relationship ended and he fell into a community of Class A drug takers and a prolific shoplifter. ‘He was selling items to feed his drug habit and feed and clothe himself. His life had completely spiralled,’ she said.

Ms Hart added: ‘He is embarrassed he became a smackhead in his mid 30s.’ She said he had been clean for two months now.

Judge David Melville KC said of the thefts: ‘It was not very sophisticated. You walked into the shops and helped yourself.’

Rawson was jailed for 20 months after being convicted of 18 thefts, two counts of fly-tipping, possessing a blade, drug driving, driving with no insurance and licence, assaulting an officer, criminal damage, resisting arrest, using a vehicle with insufficient tyre tread, and using a vehicle with tyre cord exposed. Rawson was also banned from driving for a year and 10 months.