KING’S LYNN: Christmas in jail for career thief
A “prolific” Lynn shoplifter will spend Christmas behind bars after running out of second chances, a court heard.
Lynn magistrates jailed Clive Barratt for 14 weeks on Tuesday after telling him they had “run out of alternative sentences” to give him.
Barratt – who was the first criminal to ever be fitted with an electronic tag when it was introduced by the Home Office in 1995 – appeared before the court and admitted breaching a suspended prison sentence order by breaking a curfew.
He had been banned from leaving his home in Smith Avenue, Lynn, between 12pm and 12am daily until the end of December, but he broke the curfew 11 times in three months.
Magistrates heard the sentence was imposed in September to replace a community order which had also been breached.
Prosecuting, Tish Kijviriva-Evans, said: “That should have been a warning to him to get the order finished and done with before Christmas.
“But there has been no reasonable explanation why he continues to breach the order and the suspended sentence should be activated.”
In mitigation, Rhys Mardon said five breaches on September 6 were due to an all-day argument with his partner, and he had only gone outside the gate to get some “breathing space”.
He said other breaches were due to him having to pick up emergency prescriptions.
He urged magistrates not to jail Barratt as the order had succeeded and there had been no more shoplifting offences.
But chairman of the bench, Rev Paul Rosier, said: “The court has worked hard to try to find alternative sentences for you but, quite simply, we have run out of alternatives and we will activate the prison sentence.”
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Weather for King's Lynn
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C to 10 C
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Wind direction: East
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