A notorious York woman has been jailed for assaulting a shop worker and trying to rob a man on an early-morning walk to collect his newspaper.
Mary Jane Allan, 38, walked into the staff check-out area of the Co-op in Union Terrace, grabbed cigarettes from behind the counter, assaulted a female staff worker, then took a bottle of vodka before leaving, York Crown Court heard.
In a second incident in Clarence Street, she preyed on a named man walking to get his newspaper, trying to grab “something” from his hand during a “tussle” which ended up with the victim on the ground.
Allan – a grandmother with over 80 previous offences on her record including violence and shop thefts – was charged with assault with intent to commit robbery following that incident but initially denied the offence, only to plead guilty on the day her trial was due to take place.
She was also charged with theft and assault following the incident at the Co-op on 1 January 2024. She admitted those offences at the first opportunity.
Allan, of Burdyke Avenue, York, appeared for sentence on Thursday (12 February) after being remanded in Low Newton women’s prison.
Prosecutor Jennifer Gatland said it was about 4pm on New Year’s Day when Allan walked into the Co-op in Union Terrace despite being barred.
A female staff member tried in vain to prevent her from entering but was met with a torrent of foul-mouthed verbal abuse from Allan, who was drunk and told the woman: “Get out of my f****** way.”
Another female staff member was serving behind the counter and as she turned to get some cigarettes for a customer, Allan crept up behind her.
“She turned to face the defendant who was standing in front of the cigarette drawer, blocking her access,” said Ms Gatland.
“The defendant pushed her forcefully to the chest, forcing her to take a backwards step.”
Allan then grabbed a packet of cigarettes from the drawer, took a bottle of vodka and told the female shop worker to “get back inside now!”
At about 6.40am on 8 August last year, a man was on his way to buy a newspaper when Allan and an unknown man appeared on bikes on the corner of Clarence Street and Lord Mayor’s Walk near York St John’s University.
“They appeared to be looking at him from the other side of the road,” said Ms Gatland.
“He continued walking but the defendant cycled across the road.”
Allan then dropped her bike to the ground, walked up to the victim and shouted: “Police!”
She then attacked the man and “tried to take something out of his hand”. There was then a “tussle” during which the victim “ended up on the floor”.
She then rode off on her bike towards Gillygate with the unknown male but police later identified her from CCTV footage of the incident.
The victim, whose trousers were torn at the knees, later said he was “baffled” by the incident, not least Allan’s far-from-convincing pretensions at being a police officer.
He said he was now “more wary when out and about”.
Allan was arrested about a week later, initially made denials and asked officers: “What did I take?”
Ms Gatland said that Allan had 47 previous convictions for 84 offences, 26 of which were theft or “kindred” and nine being offences against the person. Her rap sheet also included assaulting an emergency worker and in February last year she was given a 10-month jail sentence for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Defence barrister Nick Hammond said that Allan had alcohol and drug issues and had been recalled to prison following her arrest for the new matters in York.
Judge Simon Hickey told Allan: “If you continue to offend by stealing from shops and you continue to use violence, then the judges will have no option but to keep locking you up and it will only be for longer.”
Allan was jailed for 13 months minus the time she had already spent on remand.
