The shoplifter who cost a dedicated Morrisons store manager his job after almost 30 years is a violent, one-man crime wave with more than 100 offences to his name, the Daily Mail can reveal
Career criminal Daniel Kendall, 36, targeted a branch of the chain supermarket in Aldridge near Walsall – the latest thefts in a spree that has seen him notch up dozens of convictions.
He was tackled by brave Sean Egan, who had worked for the company for 29 years, as he tried to make off with two bottles of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, worth £50.
The store worker, 46, a married father, tried to follow company protocol by dealing calmly with Kendall despite him having convictions for violence and being notorious among local shopkeepers.
But when the serial shoplifter himself became ‘aggressive’ and started spitting at Mr Egan, he attempted to restrain him to protect his customers.
The loyal employee was then sacked after a disciplinary hearing for not following the firm’s deter-and-not-detain policy when he intervened.
After being sacked by the supermarket Mr Egan used a post on LinkedIn to tell of his anger over the way he had been treated.
He wrote: ‘Dismissed from Morrisons after 29 years. After nearly three decades at Morrisons. This isn’t just my story. It reflects the experiences of so many people who have reached out to me privately.
Daniel Kendall, 36, from Walsall, West Midlands, targeted a branch of the chain supermarket in nearby Aldridge on December 3 last year
He was tackled by worker Sean Egan (pictured), who had worked for the company for nearly 30 years, as he tried to make off with the stolen goods
‘I’m determined to make sure those voices are heard. In that moment, I reacted as a human being. And after 29 years of doing everything I could for the business, that’s something I stand by. I want to say a genuine thank you to everyone who tuned in, reached out and shared support. It means more than I can put into words. All I’ve ever wanted is to be heard. And I’ll continue to speak up, not just for myself, but for others who feel they haven’t been listened to.
‘I don’t think people understand what this really does to someone. Just 3 weeks before Christmas… I was asking myself one question… How am I going to give my kids the Christmas they deserve? I joined Morrisons at 17. It wasn’t just a job. It was my identity. My life. My purpose. 29 years of loyalty. And now… it’s gone.’
And he added: ‘Like many stores, we were dealing with frequent shoplifting, especially during peak Christmas period. On this occasion, the individual was a well-known, prolific offender in the area. I followed company policy, approached calmly, offered help, and then escorted him from the store when needed. But as we neared the exit, I was spat at. In that moment, I reacted. Not as a manager. As a human being. That split second changed everything.
‘Despite nearly three decades of loyalty, performance, and commitment, including turning numerous underperforming stores into some of the most profitable in the West Midlands, I lost my job.’
And the Daily Mail can reveal the long rap sheet of the man who cost Mr Egan his job has seen him notch up at least 40 previous convictions over the years.
Kendall was jailed for 42 weeks at Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court in December over the Morrisons theft as well as several other petty crimes.
They included the theft of chocolate and coffee worth £90 from a Co-op supermarket store in Birmingham – and theft of £390 in cash from an ATM in Walsall.
Prior to these latest brushes with the law, Kendall was previously jailed for 30 weeks in 2018 for attempting to break into a police officer’s home in the middle of the night in nearby Pelsall.
The court heard how PC Jason Dooley became suspicious when his dogs suddenly began barking in the middle of the night.
The officer looked out his bedroom window to see Kendall trying the handle of his car and porch.
Concerned for his wife Emily, as well as his three-year-old daughter sleeping in the next room, Mr Dooley quickly went outside to apprehend the criminal himself.
With the help of a neighbour, Philip Green, he detained Kendall until police arrived – and both later received awards for their bravery.
Officers found the thief with two previously stolen laptops and six mobile phones.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years of policing,’ Mr Dooley told the Express and Star at the time.
‘But as I ran at the guy and grabbed him, he was wearing headphones. He started to struggle when he realised and was effing and blinding.
‘He was trying to get up and fight.’
Mr Dooley had worked for West Midlands Police for around 30 years at the time – and the incident marked the 24th off-duty arrest of his career.
He praised Mr Green, whose father is a retired policeman, who worked for Staffordshire Police, for assisting him with ‘no hesitation’.
Kendall also previously stole two yoghurt pots, worth a total of £2.58 from a Euro Garages petrol station in Walsall on February 27, 2019, and assaulted a shop worker.
He was jailed for ten weeks and ordered to pay £115 in compensation.
Later that year, on September 13, Kendall attempted another series of thefts, first targeting a Bargain Buys store in nearby Bloxwich.
He began filling a carrier bag with washing powder containers, with the female manager of the budget shop soon bravely trying to stop him, a court heard.
Prosecutor Raj Punia said during the struggle, the staff member was pushed against some shelving before he finally dropped the bag.
As she emptied out its contents, he warned her he had a knife, which turned out to be half a pair of scissors he used to cut heroin – before swiftly fleeing.
Kendall then went on to steal £102 worth of cosmetics from a Lloyds Pharmacy store later that same day – but was arrested for both crimes on September 28.
Kendall (pictured) has now been sentenced to 46 weeks in prison over the incident. But the Daily Mail can reveal he is already a serial petty criminal
Mr Egan has since been sacked at a disciplinary hearing for not following the firm’s deter-and-not-detain policy when he intervened
Aimee Parkes, defending, said: ‘He is genuinely sorry for his actions and knows that if this pattern of offending continues his sentences will just get longer and longer.’
He admitted attempted robbery and shoplifting and was jailed.
Judge James Burbridge QC told him: ‘You have been a public menace because of your addiction.
‘Shopkeepers and those who work in shops need to be protected by the court.’
