A "selfish" shoplifter who killed a woman when he pushed her out of the way in his bid to escape those pursuing him has been jailed for six years.

Joseph Smith was fleeing with a bundle of socks from Sports Direct in Sunderland when he shoved 68-year-old Christine Vasey to the ground in October, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Mrs Vasey, a Sunderland fan from Doncaster who was on Wearside with her husband to watch a Black Cats game, died several days later from the head injuries sustained when she fell to the pavement.

Smith, 37, admitted offences including manslaughter and theft, and must serve a further four years on extended licence upon his release from prison.

Smith, who had a history of violent and dishonest offending, stole three packs of socks, worth £66, from Sports Direct on High Street West at approximately 11:30 GMT on 26 October, prosecutor Emma Dowling said.

As he fled store staff, he rounded a blind corner into Back Bridge Street at speed and encountered Mrs Vasey and her husband.

The court heard the couple were avid Sunderland fans and had been spending time in the city centre ahead of the club's game against Oxford United that afternoon.

Smith pushed Mrs Vasey with force and continued running, apparently with no concern that the victim had fallen backwards and hit her head on the ground making an "horrific" sound, Ms Dowling said.

Mrs Vasey was immediately rendered unconscious and died on 1 November at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

She was found to have suffered a devastating skull fracture and brain injury, Ms Dowling said.

As one Sports Direct worker stopped to help Mrs Vasey, another pursued Smith to the Stadium of Light metro station where the thief threw punches at him.

Smith was arrested a short while later, still in possession of the socks – with officers also finding cannabis on his person.

The court heard Mrs Vasey had worked as group accounts manager and executive assistant at Riverside Motor Group for many years.

She had been looking forward to her imminent retirement, with a first-class trip to Australia booked in the forthcoming weeks.

The company's director, Mark Denton, said she was "irreplaceable" and the death of an "exceptional colleague, dear friend and wonderful human being" who still had "so much living to do" had left a "massive hole".

In a statement read to the court, Mrs Vasey's family described her as a vibrant and outgoing woman who had been "ripped" from their lives by a "reckless act".

They said she and her husband had been childhood sweethearts and soulmates, and had been looking forward to enjoying their retirement together.

Her husband had been left devastated by the loss of the "love of his life" and still suffered regular flashbacks and guilt that he had been unable to protect his wife, the court heard.

It was said he could no longer go back to their shared home or watch football matches because of the memories it triggered of happy times spent with Mrs Vasey, and her "senseless" death had "stolen the joy and purpose" of his life.

'Real risk'

Ms Dowling said Smith, of Halstead Square in Sunderland, had 15 offences on his record – among them multiple thefts, robbery, possessing a knife and throwing a can into a police officer's face.

In mitigation, Sophie Allison-Howells said Smith had previously been treated for paranoid schizophrenia and "could not articulate the sadness" he felt about causing Mrs Vasey's "tragic death" by his "one simple selfish act".

Recorder of Newcastle Paul Sloan KC said the theft had been "brazen" and there was a "very real risk" Smith would encounter other people as he "hurtled round a blind corner".

He said Smith would have known he had hurt Mrs Vasey but, instead of offering aid, he had sprinted away.

Judge Sloan said the Vaseys' hopes of a happy retirement had been "obliterated" by Smith, and her husband's future had been "destroyed" by her death.