Final chance for repeat offender (From Western Telegraph)

Final chance for repeat offender

3:20pm Sunday 30th September 2012 in News

A district judge has deferred sentencing a repeat offender after being convinced to give him a final chance.

At a hearing for Michael Davies, aged 36, of Cross Park, Pennar, a police officer took to the witness stand to give evidence supporting the defendant who pleaded guilty to stealing food worth £5.68 from Pennar post office and resisting a police officer on August 17th.

He was also being sentenced for other charges, which included shoplifting toiletries worth £10.84 from the 99p store in Castle Square, Haverfordwest, on June 11th, a burglary of a property in Pembroke on August 20th, where power tools and a lawnmower were stolen, and breaching a conditional discharge on August 8th.

Prosecutor Ellie Morgan said Davies had committed “something like 13 offences of shoplifting just this year alone”.

The court was told Davies had a long-term drink problem, but had found somewhere to live and was making progress on the Cleddau Project, which helps offenders, and had not committed any offences for a month.

PC Helen Williams of Dyfed Powys Police took to the witness stand and said her personal opinion was that Davies was worth a chance.

Another police officer and the chaplain from Swansea prison were also in court to support Davies.

Mark Layton, defending, said there was “a very small light at the end of a very long tunnel” and asked the judge to take a chance on him.

Judge Manning-Davies said he had never seen a police officer in the witness box giving evidence in favour of a defendant during his 40 years in the criminal justice system, and Davies had a lot of support.

He deferred sentence until November 20th on condition he complied with his community order and did not commit any offences before then.

Judge Manning-Davies said if he did offend again “all bets are off” and Davies would face a prison sentence.