A thug who stole a mobile phone from a man as he lay dying in the street has appeared in court again – pulling more defiant poses and rude hand gestures.
Remorseless Scott Stephenson was hauled before court after being arrested for not showing up to a previous sentence hearing.
He had been due to be jailed for nicking a phone from a friend he found collapsed in the street – the one thing he could have used to save him.
But Stephenson skipped bail until he was arrested and sent back to court- where he again shouted and swore and flicked his fingers outside.
The 19-year-old thug from South Shields, Tyneside, rifled through his 22-year-old unnamed victim’s pockets and made off with the iPhone 4.
His victim had tripped and fallen unconscious on the cold December day.
Stephenson and pal Dale Walker, 25, found him but instead of calling for help took his phone – and the man was later found dead of hypothermia.
Stephenson gave rude gestures outside South Tyneside Magistrates when he appeared last month to plead guilty to theft and Walker admitted handling stolen goods.
Appearing before Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday Stephenson gave the same shameless gestures as he stood on the street where members of the public ate lunch.
The yob was seized on Monday after a warrant was issued for his arrest when his no-show left his co-defendant sitting in the dock alone and his victim’s family in anguish.
The thug was re-bailed for the sentence – which will be arranged for a later date after a pre-sentence report has been prepared.
