Sunderland shoplifter jailed for fatal push of woman as he fled shop

A Sunderland shoplifter, who fatally injured a woman as he ran from a shop after stealing socks, has been jailed for manslaughter at Newcastle Crown Court today.

Joseph Smith, 37, of Halstead Square, Sunderland was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to all charges against him at an earlier hearing.

In October last year, Smith was seen stealing packs of socks from a Sports Direct store in Sunderland High Street and fled when approached by staff. As he ran from the scene, he sprinted around a corner onto Back Bridge Street, forcefully pushing Christine Vasey, 67, to the ground.

Mrs Vasey was on her way to watch a football match at the Stadium of Light.

Mrs Vasey - who was from the Doncaster area - sustained a catastrophic head injury as a result of the fall and died of her injuries at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle days later.

Smith ran from the scene before attacking Robert Varley, who had tried unsuccessfully to chase and detain him.

He pleaded guilty to all counts at Newcastle Crown Court in February and appeared before the same court today (Monday) where he was sentenced to six years in prison.

Detective Inspector Steven Brown of Northumbria Police’s Major Investigation team said: “This is a tragic case, and our thoughts remain with Christine’s family who are having to mourn the unexpected loss of their loved one.

“I know that today’s result is no compensation for the loss of Christine’s life, but I do hope it brings some comfort to her family and loved ones.

“The outcome of this crime shows why we take every offence seriously.

“There’s no place in our communities for any type of criminality and we will continue to do all we can to deal robustly with those who choose a life of crime.”

Following today’s sentencing, Christine’s family have shared the following words:

“Christine’s death has shocked and saddened all of us.

“We’ll remember her as the intelligent and vibrant professional woman that she was.

“She lived life to the full, balancing her zeal for her family, her business, her thrill for travelling and her love of Sunderland AFC.

“We’ll now take solace at the custodial sentence served today and we hope the offender takes time to reflect upon the horror that his reckless actions brought on us.”

Sarah Traynor, Senior Crown Prosecutor at CPS North East, said: “It is clear from the evidence in this case that Joseph Smith was directly responsible for the tragic death of Christine Vasey.

“In his haste to avoid being apprehended for his stealing, he delivered what was to be a fatal injury to Mrs Vasey.

“This was not a simple collision of two people, CCTV footage showed that Smith had physically pushed Mrs Vasey to the floor using both hands.

“We drew upon medical forensic evidence to show that the catastrophic head injury sustained by Christine in that fall was the direct cause of her death.

“The Crown Prosecution Service has worked closely with Northumbria Police to build a robust case against Smith, and this was instrumental in securing his guilty pleas to all charges against him.

“Our thoughts remain with the family of Christine Vasey at what remains a difficult time, and we hope that they can take some measure of comfort from seeing the person responsible for her death jailed today.”