A STOLEN violin and a job in Sierra Leone lead to a trip to Haverfordwest Magistrates Court for a local man with 110 previous convictions.

David Jeffrey, 42, c/o Gerald Road, Haverfordwest, admitted handling stolen goods and leaving the country while on bail for the offence when he appeared before the court last week.

Vaughan Pritchard-Jones, prosecuting, said the violin and its case had been stolen from Treehouse Antiques in August 2013 by a “friend” of the defendant.

“The violin was found at Jeffrey’s address,” said Mr Pritchard-Jones. “He denied acting dishonestly and said he had simply bought it. He wouldn’t say who he had bought it from.”

Matthew Greenish, defending, said Jeffrey was visiting his ill sister in Spain while on bail last year when he secured himself a job with an engineering firm building infrastructure in Sierra Leone.

“When his contract ended, he returned to Spain,” said Mr Greenish. “When he returned to the UK he was arrested on arrival.”

Mr Greenish said he had known Jeffrey for several years, and he had a history of “drink and drug abuse”.

“The job in Africa was the first job he has had in a decade, and this is the best health I have ever seen him in,” said the defence solicitor.

Magistrates said failing to answer bail was a “very serious offence”. They sentenced Jeffrey to six weeks in prison for the Bail Act offence and a further six weeks for handling stolen goods. The sentences will run concurrently.