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14
May
Ripon man jailed for theft and drunken behaviour
A man has been jailed for a string of offences in Harrogate and Ripon.
Daniel Wilson, 33, appeared at Harrogate Magistrates Court this morning (May 14) charged with four offences: drunk and disorderly in a public place, attempted theft and two counts of theft.
He admitted all the charges.
Prosecutor Alison Whiteley told the court the theft matters were “straightforward” and were all caught on CCTV.
Wilson entered the Co-op on King Edward’s Drive in Harrogate on April 6 and stole alcohol and food to the value of £17.
Just six days later, the defendant went to the Ripon Road Co-op, where he attempted to steal two bottles of alcohol.
On this occasion, the court heard, he was challenged and the goods were recovered before he managed to leave.
But Wilson went to the Co-op on Jennyfield Drive on three separate occasions on April 19, each time stealing different items.
He stole alcohol and a sandwich believed to be worth £29.
Ms Whiteley said the fourth and final offence happened on April 23, when police were called to Ripon’s Market Place at around 9.15pm.
The report was made by Wilson’s mother, who had taken her son a tent and a sleeping bag.
“She had paid for hotels [for him to stay at] but couldn’t afford it anymore”, the court heard.
Wilson’s mother drove to the area to give him the tent and sleeping bag, but police were eventually called due to his drunken state.
When officers arrived, Ms Whiteley said, Wilson was still drunk and was aggressive towards police.
By committing the offences on April 19 and 23, Wilson breached a suspended sentence order made on April 13.
Defendant’s life ‘blighted’ by alcohol
Andrew Tinning, defending, told the court:
On the face of it, Mr Wilson has all the reasons to make a success of his life… but it’s a life that has been blighted by alcohol.
Mr Tinning said it is alcohol that led to Wilson, who gave the court an address in Ripon, committing the offences and appearing in court today.
Mr Tinning told the magistrates Wilson did not want to go to prison, but said he knew the probation service was not going to provide much “positive information about him and his compliance”.
The court heard:
Mr Wilson tells me that around the time of these offences and the suspended sentence order being imposed, he had a falling out with his partner.
That’s then led to this period of homelessness… his mother went to give him a tent and a sleeping bag because that’s the stage it got to. He says that’s why his cooperation with the probation service hasn’t been good.
Wilson has now found a new job and is “saying all the right things”, Mr Tinning said.
A probation officer told the court since the suspended sentence was imposed on April 13, Wilson has failed to attend any appointments with the service and hasn’t responded to any attempts to contact him.
The officer said Wilson is “known to heavily misuse alcohol”, but when he has had periods of abstinence he has “briefly” engaged with probation.
This, however, hasn’t been sustained and he has failed to engage with an alcohol treatment programme he was ordered to undergo as part of his suspended prison sentence.
The magistrates decided to activate the six-week suspended sentence and added a further four weeks to reflect the new offences, meaning Wilson was ordered to spend 10 weeks behind bars.
He must also pay a total of £200 to the court.
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