Delivery driver who won £100,000 in lottery avoids jail for stealing £15,000 worth of sneakers

A thieving delivery driver who once bagged a £100,000 lottery win has escaped jail after being caught stealing £15,000 worth of sneakers.

David Swatman, formerly of Manchester, was free to stand trial despite admitting stealing the expensive shoes from his employer, FootAsylum.

The 43-year-old had previously won a small fortune on a scratch card in 2018 and vowed to use the money to follow his beloved Liverpool FC as he posed for photos in a bespoke shirt with ‘winner’ written on the back.

But a court overheard him, the former lottery winner, repeatedly stealing boxes of shoes during delivery trips from FootAsylum’s North Wales depot to the Manchester hub.

Swatman avoided an immediate jail sentence on Wednesday after pleading guilty to a single charge of £15,450 theft between August and September 2020. A judge said the criminal – who has 22 prior convictions to his name – has shown “genuine remorse”.

‘Winner’: Convicted criminal David Swatman – who has 22 convictions – escaped jail after admitting to stealing more than £15,000 worth of sneakers, with a judge saying the thief had shown ‘genuine remorse’ . Swatman is pictured in a tailored shirt after his £100,000 lottery scratch card win in 2018

Prosecutor Daniel Lister told Manchester Crown Court how FootAsylum opened an investigation after a delivery discrepancy was discovered on 9 September 2020.

Five packages and two bags of sneakers never arrived in Manchester after leaving Broughton depot, the court heard.

CCTV later revealed there had been an “unauthorized stop” at Bury Old Road while Swatman was driving as the items were being transferred to another vehicle, Mr Lister said.

The company’s investigation uncovered more “unauthorized stops” on August 22 and September 2, when more boxes were handed over and placed in another vehicle.

Police arrested Swatman, who later admitted to the thefts and estimated that he had stolen about 22 boxes, each containing up to £1,000 worth of sneakers.

The court heard the defendant had stored an “encryption lock” on the vehicles in order to carry out his crimes.

Swatman, now of Keighley, admitted to a single charge of theft. The court was told that Swatman had 22 prior convictions for 44 offences, including one offense of drunk driving, said to have been committed shortly after the FootAsylum thefts.

Max Saffman, defending himself, said his client is now working part-time as a window fitter and earning around £300 a week, although he hopes to be working full-time soon. He referred to his client’s admission of guilt since his arrest.

The judge, His Honor Judge Field KC, expressed surprise that it had taken more than two years to bring the case to court after the defendant admitted his crime from the outset.

Champagne celebration: Swatman celebrates his £100,000 lottery win in 2018

He said the delay was “extraordinary” and meant the defendant lived under the threat of jail while awaiting sentencing.

Judge Field said, “It wasn’t just a robbery. It was a series of thefts that happened back in late summer 2020 when you were working as a delivery driver for FootAsylum.

“You used your privileged position to steal goods from your delivery vehicle for the benefit of others… It was a breach of trust shown to you by your employers.”

The judge said there was a degree of sophistication, although the defendant did not act alone. The goods were “obviously stolen to order”.

But Judge Field said the defendant showed “sincere remorse” and made “frank admissions as soon as you were confronted”. He said Swatman “took steps to address the issues that may have led to you making the very bad decision to steal from your employer.”

The judge continued, “I have become convinced, based on what you have accomplished over the past two and a half years, that there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in your case.”

Swatman was sentenced to 20 months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence. He was also fined five days’ rehab, 150 hours of unpaid labor and £425 in prosecution costs.