Revealed: The ‘violent, one-man crime wave’ serial shoplifter who cost a dedicated Morrisons store manager – a married father – his job after almost 30 years’ loyal service

The thief who cost a dedicated Morrisons store manager his job after almost 30 years was a violent one-man crime spree with more than 100 crimes to his name, the Daily Mail can reveal

Career criminal Daniel Kendall, 36, targeted a branch of the supermarket chain in Aldridge, near Walsall; It was the latest theft in a spree that earned him dozens of convictions.

Brave Sean Egan, who has worked for the company for 29 years, attacked her as she tried to escape with two bottles of Jack Daniel’s whiskey worth £50.

The 46-year-old store worker, a married father, tried to follow company protocol by dealing calmly with Kendall, despite having a conviction for violence and a bad reputation among local shopkeepers.

But when the serial thief himself became ‘aggressive’ and started spitting at Mr Egan, he tried to restrain him to protect his customers.

The loyal employee was later dismissed following a disciplinary hearing for failing to comply with the firm’s policy of deterrence and non-detention when he intervened.

After being fired by the supermarket, Mr Egan used a post on LinkedIn expressing his anger at his treatment.

He wrote: ‘Sacked from Morrisons after 29 years. After almost three decades at Morrisons. This isn’t just my story. It reflects the experiences of many people who have reached out to me privately.

He attacked worker Sean Egan (pictured), who had been with the company for nearly 30 years, as he tried to escape with stolen goods.

‘I am determined to make sure these voices are heard. At that moment, I reacted like a human. And after 29 years of doing everything I could for this business, I stand by it. I want to sincerely thank everyone who listened, reached out, and shared their support. It means so much more than I can express in words. All I wanted was to be heard. And I will continue to speak out, not just for myself, but for others who feel they are not being listened to.

‘I don’t think people understand what this actually does to someone. With only 3 weeks until Christmas… I’ve been asking myself a question… How do I give my kids the Christmas they deserve? I joined Morrisons when I was 17. This wasn’t just a job. This was my identity. My life. My purpose. 29 years of loyalty. And now…it’s gone.”

He added: ‘Like many stores, we were faced with frequent thefts, especially during the busy Christmas period. In this case, the person in question was a well-known, prolific criminal in the area. I followed company policy, approached him calmly, offered assistance, and escorted him out of the store when necessary. But as we approached the exit, I was spat at. I reacted at that moment. Not as a manager. As a human. That second changed everything.

‘Despite almost three decades of loyalty, performance and commitment, including transforming a number of underperforming stores into some of the most profitable stores in the West Midlands, I lost my job.’

And the Daily Mail can reveal Mr Egan’s lengthy criminal record, which shows the man who cost him his job racked up at least 40 previous convictions over the years.

Kendall was sentenced to 42 weeks in prison at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court in December for the Morrisons burglary, as well as a number of other minor offences.

These included the theft of chocolates and coffee worth £90 from a Co-op supermarket store in Birmingham and the theft of cash worth £390 from an ATM in Walsall.

Before these latest touches on the law, Kendall had previously been jailed for 30 weeks in 2018 for attempting to break into a police officer’s home near Pelsall in the middle of the night.

The court heard how PC Jason Dooley became suspicious when his dogs suddenly started barking in the middle of the night.

When the officer looked out his bedroom window, he saw Kendall trying to grab the steering wheel of his car and porch.

Worried about his wife, Emily, and their three-year-old daughter, who was sleeping in the next room, Mr. Dooley immediately went out to catch the culprit.

With the help of his neighbour, Philip Green, he detained Kendall until the police arrived, and both were later awarded awards for their bravery.

Officers found the thief with two previously stolen laptops and six cell phones.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in all my years of policing,” Mr Dooley told the Express and Star at the time.

‘But when I ran towards the man and grabbed him, he was wearing headphones. When the realization dawned on him he began to struggle and it was dazzling and blinding.

‘He was trying to get up and fight.’

Mr Dooley had been working for West Midlands Police for nearly 30 years at the time and the incident was the 24th off-duty arrest of his career.

He praised Mr Green, whose father is a retired police officer and works for Staffordshire Police, for helping ‘without hesitation’.

Kendall also stole two yoghurt containers worth a total of £2.58 from Euro Garages petrol station in Walsall on February 27, 2019, and assaulted a shop worker.

He was sentenced to ten weeks’ imprisonment and ordered to pay compensation of £115.

Later that year, on 13 September, Kendall attempted another series of burglaries, first targeting the Bargain Buys store in nearby Bloxwich.

The court heard the man began filling a carrier bag with containers of washing powder and the female manager of the budget store soon bravely tried to stop him.

Prosecutor Raj Punia said that during the fight, the staff member was pushed against some shelves and ended up dropping the bag.

As she emptied the contents, the man warned her that he had a knife; This turned out to be half a pair of scissors that he used to cut the heroin, and he quickly ran away.

Kendall then stole £102 worth of cosmetics from Lloyds Pharmacy store later the same day but was arrested for both offenses on 28 September.

Kendall (pictured) was sentenced to 46 weeks in prison for the incident. But the Daily Mail can reveal he is already a serial petty criminal

Mr Egan was dismissed at a disciplinary hearing for failing to comply with the firm’s policy of deterrence and non-arrest when he intervened.

Aimee Parkes, defending, said: ‘He is truly sorry for what he has done and knows that if this pattern of crime continues his sentences will become increasingly longer.’

He confessed to attempted robbery and theft and was jailed.

Judge James Burbridge QC told him: ‘You have become a public threat because of your addiction.

‘Tradesmen and store workers need to be protected by the court.’