Man who caused death of his girlfriend stole to buy alcohol

Lee Bayliss, 37, was jailed in June 2006 for causing the death of 32-year-old Susan Fenton by dangerous driving and was released in 2012.

Oxford Crown Court heard on Thursday how he fell into the wrong company and started offending again in October 2013.

Edward Culver, prosecuting, said Bayliss smashed the rear window of a car parked in Shotover Country Park, in Headington, and took a satchel containing a wallet, bank cards and a mobile phone. The wallet and cards were later retrieved.

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The court heard that a couple had gone for a walk in Kennington on October 27 and when they returned to their car, they found the rear window had been smashed and a purse containing cards had been taken.

The stolen credit card was used to buy alcohol worth £8.50 in a nearby Londis store shortly afterwards.

CCTV cameras at the shop showed Bayliss was the culprit.

Bayliss had admitted two counts of theft and making false representation, when using the stolen card, at an earlier court hearing.

Mr Culver said Bayliss, of Simpsons Way, Kennington, had a history of 41 convictions for 100 offences.

He said he had been given a suspended sentence at Oxford Magistrates’ Court in July 2014 for similar offences earlier that year.

Stuart Matthews, defending, said the death of his girlfriend in the dangerous driving incident in 2006 is one of the reasons Bayliss could not shake off his long-term drug and alcohol use.

But he said his client was making progress and holding down a job.

Judge Zoe Smith, sentencing Bayliss, said: “This is your preferred way of going about acquisitive crime and I note there are quite a few previous convictions for acting in that manner.”

Judge Smith gave him a 12-month community order with a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement and 12 months supervision by the probation service.

Bayliss was also ordered to pay £150 compensation to each of his victims and a further £350 in costs.