Labourer avoids jail after lead thefts (From Daily Echo)

he should have been made to repay the true cost of the damage he caused in a much shorter timescale.

Condor Man wrote:
he should have been made to repay the true cost of the damage he caused in a much shorter timescale.

How do you MAKE someone do that, though? If they have a certain income, and can only afford that, what do you do? Blindly insist they find the money "from somewhere" and hope they don't commit more crime to do so?

With so many thefts of lead from roofs recently in the Southampton area, I bet this is not the first time he has done this but is the only time he has been caught !!

This Community Service fiasco is a big secret failure being kept from the public because it is next to useless and it makes politicians and the probation service look stupid as well. Does anyone think this bloke will be rehabilitated by the current system? We should be entitled to know for any sentenced offender exactly what they are going to do and whether they have bothered to turn up to do any of it. Furthermore when they don't bother to turn up without an excuse they should be made to sit in a police cell for the same number of hours they missed. They might think twice about skiving off if it meant a day locked up with nothing to do.

The Wickham Man wrote:
This Community Service fiasco is a big secret failure being kept from the public because it is next to useless and it makes politicians and the probation service look stupid as well. Does anyone think this bloke will be rehabilitated by the current system? We should be entitled to know for any sentenced offender exactly what they are going to do and whether they have bothered to turn up to do any of it. Furthermore when they don't bother to turn up without an excuse they should be made to sit in a police cell for the same number of hours they missed. They might think twice about skiving off if it meant a day locked up with nothing to do.

Err, they do get arrested if they fail to show. It's not done on the honour system.

Georgem wrote:

The Wickham Man wrote: This Community Service fiasco is a big secret failure being kept from the public because it is next to useless and it makes politicians and the probation service look stupid as well. Does anyone think this bloke will be rehabilitated by the current system? We should be entitled to know for any sentenced offender exactly what they are going to do and whether they have bothered to turn up to do any of it. Furthermore when they don't bother to turn up without an excuse they should be made to sit in a police cell for the same number of hours they missed. They might think twice about skiving off if it meant a day locked up with nothing to do.

Err, they do get arrested if they fail to show. It's not done on the honour system.

Not to my knowledge (unless the system has been radically revised in the last couple of years) they don't.

Provided they have completed at least half of the order, no further action is taken. No action whatever. Obviously should the miscreant have to attend Court again this won't actually count in his favour assuming anyone actually points it out to the Judges/magistrates.

Otherwise yes, a warrant may be issued by the Courts- but unless the person is unlucky enough to come to the attention of Police, no action will be taken. They certainly won't actively pursue.

Goldenwight wrote:

Georgem wrote:

The Wickham Man wrote: This Community Service fiasco is a big secret failure being kept from the public because it is next to useless and it makes politicians and the probation service look stupid as well. Does anyone think this bloke will be rehabilitated by the current system? We should be entitled to know for any sentenced offender exactly what they are going to do and whether they have bothered to turn up to do any of it. Furthermore when they don't bother to turn up without an excuse they should be made to sit in a police cell for the same number of hours they missed. They might think twice about skiving off if it meant a day locked up with nothing to do.

Err, they do get arrested if they fail to show. It's not done on the honour system.

Not to my knowledge (unless the system has been radically revised in the last couple of years) they don't.

Provided they have completed at least half of the order, no further action is taken. No action whatever. Obviously should the miscreant have to attend Court again this won't actually count in his favour assuming anyone actually points it out to the Judges/magistrates.

Otherwise yes, a warrant may be issued by the Courts- but unless the person is unlucky enough to come to the attention of Police, no action will be taken. They certainly won't actively pursue.

Really? I remember years ago a guy I knew went on the run because he failed to turn up to his CS. Yep, he was an idiot. He eventually REQUESTED a jail sentence since, as he put it, "there's no way I can do community service".

Goldenwight you are thoroughly incorrect. I work for Community Payback in Hampshire and we most certainly do actively pursue those offenders who fail to attend their group. And it makes no odds at which point they are in their order, I have been involved with the breach of an offender who has 25 hours left of a 250 hour order.

There is an OAP group down our way who collect litter from beaches and shorelines - they do a good job and it is all voluntary. One of them suggested it might be good to take on a few CS people as it was not strenuous and quite pleasant, plus it gave something back to the community. They were told that would not be possible as they had to provide portable toilet facilities for the offenders.

Suspended sentence ? Should have been jailed....and made to serve the full sentence.