EXCLUSIVE: Sacked after 29 years for stopping a serial thug: Heartbreak for ‘exemplary’ Morrisons boss, 46, who lost his career and his ‘identity’ after tackling a one-man crime wave who spat in his face

Daniel Kendall, 36, from Walsall, West Midlands, targeted a branch of the chain supermarket in nearby Aldridge on December 3 last year

• Sean Egan, 46, was dismissed by Morrisons after nearly three decades of service

• The married father-of-two tackled prolific shoplifter Daniel Kendall in Aldridge

• Kendall, 36, has a “rap sheet” of 100+ offences including violence and robbery

• Mr Egan was fired for breaching ‘deter-not-detain’ policy despite being spat at

Where is the justice when a violent serial shoplifter can bring an end to three decades of tireless dedication from an exemplary supermarket manager?

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

It is the bitter conclusion for Sean Egan, a 46-year-old family man who spent his entire youth loyal to Morrisons, only to be unceremoniously dismissed following a run-in with a ruthless “one-man crime wave.”

Today, the true scale of the “perverse” injustice can be revealed. The man who cost Mr Egan his livelihood is Daniel Kendall, a career criminal with more than 100 offences to his name. While Kendall—a man described by judges as a “public menace”—is back behind bars, Mr Egan is left picking up the pieces of a shattered career just weeks after a Christmas overshadowed by unemployment.

A Split-Second Decision

The incident unfolded at the Morrisons branch in Aldridge, near Walsall, where Mr Egan—a married father who joined the company at just 17—had spent years turning underperforming stores into some of the most profitable in the West Midlands.

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

When Kendall, 36, attempted to brazenly walk out with two bottles of Jack Daniel’s whiskey worth £50, Mr Egan stepped in. Following company protocol, he initially approached the thief calmly. However, the situation turned toxic.

Kendall, notorious among local shopkeepers for his aggression, reportedly became violent and spat directly at the manager. In a “human reaction” to the disgusting assault, Mr Egan attempted to restrain the thug to protect his customers and staff.

The reward for his 29 years of loyalty? A disciplinary hearing and a P45. Morrisons sacked him for failing to follow their “deter-and-not-detain” policy—a corporate rulebook that many argue has turned supermarkets into “open buffets” for career criminals.

The ‘Public Menace’ With 100 Offences

An investigation into Kendall’s background paints a terrifying picture of the individual Morrisons seemingly expected Mr Egan to treat with kid gloves.

Kendall’s “rap sheet” is a testament to a failed justice system:

• Violence: He previously served time for assaulting a shop worker over two pots of yogurt.

• Robbery: He was jailed after threatening a female manager with a pair of scissors when she caught him stealing washing powder.

• Home Invasion: In 2018, he was jailed for trying to break into the home of an off-duty police officer while the man’s three-year-old daughter slept inside.

At the time of the Morrisons theft, Kendall was on a spree that included stealing £390 from an ATM and looting coffee from a Co-op. While he was eventually sentenced to 42 weeks for his latest crimes, the “heavy price” has been paid by the man who dared to stop him.

Mr Egan has since been sacked at a disciplinary hearing for not following the firm’s deter-and-not-detain policy when he intervened

‘It Was My Identity’

Breaking his silence on the professional networking site LinkedIn, Mr Egan shared the raw emotional toll of his dismissal.

“Dismissed from Morrisons after 29 years,” he wrote. “It wasn’t just a job. It was my identity. My life. My purpose. I joined at 17… and now, it’s gone.”

The timing of the sacking added a layer of cruelty to the corporate decision. “Just three weeks before Christmas, I was asking myself one question: How am I going to give my kids the Christmas they deserve?”

Mr Egan’s post has ignited a firestorm of public outrage, with thousands of retail workers voicing their fear that they, too, are “sitting ducks” for aggressive thieves, forbidden by their employers from defending themselves or their stores.

“In that moment, I reacted as a human being,” Mr Egan stated. “And after 29 years of doing everything I could for the business, that’s something I stand by.”

Corporate Cowardice?

The case has highlighted a growing divide between “boots on the ground” retail staff and head-office executives. Critics argue that “deter-not-detain” policies are designed to protect corporate insurance premiums rather than the safety and dignity of the workers who face “prolific offenders” like Kendall daily.

While Kendall’s lawyer, Aimee Parkes, told a court that her client is “genuinely sorry,” the reality is a pattern of offending that shows no signs of stopping. Judge James Burbridge QC previously warned Kendall: “You have been a public menace… Shopkeepers and those who work in shops need to be protected by the court.”

Tragically, it seems they also need protection from their own employers. For Sean Egan, the man who gave his entire adult life to a single company, the message from the boardroom was loud and clear: your three decades of loyalty are worth less than the safety of a serial thief.