A man who smashed up a Brighton bus while high on crack cocaine then burgled a charity shop has been jailed for three years.
Just four days before David Mann smashed windows on the number 12 bus, Judge Christine Laing had given him a chance to get off drugs instead of sending him to jail for shoplifting.
Today, she told him: “More fool me” as she heard his good intentions had not even lasted a week.
Prosecuting, Katie Jones said Mann, 42, had appeared to be having a mental health crisis when he ran in front of the bus on Marine Parade before boarding it on 22 May.
She said: “He boarded it, screaming help me and went up to the front of the top deck where he headbutted a window. He then went to the rear of the bus where he smashed the window and attempted to jump out.
“He was prevented from doing so by passengers. Having been restrained by members of the public, he left the bus and headbutted a car, causing no damage.
“Officers chased him. He told them he had taken crack cocaine but declined to give a blood sample.”
On 8 June, he broke into Just Sew in Langley Road, Eastbourne, kicking in a panel of the door but not taking anything. Then on 15 June, he tried but failed to break into the Evapo vape shop on Terminus Road in Eastbourne while another man acted as lookout,
He was caught for these burglaries after being caught on CCTV and recognised by officers.
The court was told he has 58 previous convictions for a range of dishonesty offences.
Sentencing, Judge Laing, the honorary recorder for Brighton and Hove, said: “It was I who passed a suspended sentence because I took the view you had not been given any other option than immediate custody for 20 years.
“I did so against the wishes of probation – they’re entitled to say they told me so.
“I gave you his chance, you promised me you would take it, and yet here we are.
“When I saw you were back in front of me today and I saw the first offence was four days after you were last here, I’m afraid all I thought was more fool me.
“It will make me think long and hard about giving anybody a chance again. Four days has got to be a record.
“You knew the effort you were going to have to make.
“While I accept on 22 May you were in the grip of a mental health crisis, that was no doubt exacerbated by your taking Class A drugs when you had been free of them for a little time in prison.”
Mann, of no fixed abode, was given two months for criminal damage on the bus, and five months each for the burglaries and attempted burglary.
His previous 18-month suspended sentence was also activated, giving him a total of 35 months in prison.
…….. 42 years old and 58 previous convictions………
Some people are unsavable.
Alternatively, he’s been allowed to accumulate 58 convictions. Perhaps society has not done enough to rehabilitate him?
For these people it’s not difficult to get that amount of convictions. Practically nothing in public life is above board, be it shoplifting, burglaries, robbery all to fund addiction and food/drink.
Best thing would be to put scum like that away for life. He is of zero use to society
Minus the scum an zero use part, I couldn’t agree more.
But prison isn’t the way, people like that need mental health counselling and re-education whilst there, plus, they should be of some use to society while serving their sentence. Add menial jobs to the sentence, like cleaning the streets (under strict supervision) after they have been stabilised, why pay for gas and equipment and personnel to clean the streets when they can do it as Payment for the free food and board they’re receiving
Rehabilitation is definitely the way, even if this is in the form of a very controlled lifestyle, as it seems he would benefit from the strict regime of one such as what you described.
Yes, but he would probably never turn up for it. “More fool me” said the judge, and she could not have made a truer statement. Unfortunately the feeble sentences handed out by judges show that most of them are fools.
Lock them up EVERY TIME they offend not just when it suits the politicians, plenty of that type have hundreds of convictions why should we accept this as “the norm” their drugs their problem, plenty of empty containers around, make it worthwhile for the plebs to get wise.