Six before Swindon magistrates on Boxing Day 2018

They included a cancer patient given three months to live, who has been jailed for eight weeks by JPs, and a homeless drunk who swigged from a bottle of Irish Cream in Iceland.

Another man was brought before magistrates charged with attempted murder. He has been remanded in custody for a plea hearing at Bristol Crown Court.

Three months to live - and eight weeks inside

A cancer patient who has been given just three months was jailed by Boxing Day magistrates, after he admitted shoplifting booze from Morrisons and going equipped with a foil-lined bag designed to evade store detectors.

By admitting the theft offences, Bristol man Jeremy Barrett, 48, activated an earlier eight week suspended prison sentence.

Magistrates opted to jail him for the full eight weeks, adding four weeks for the charges of shoplifting and going equipped.

Mark Glendenning, defending, said his client was in poor health: “Mr Barrett unfortunately was diagnosed with cancer a month ago, with a three month prognosis.

“His diagnosis means he’s continuing to drink or he’s drinking more than he did, perhaps understandably.”

Barrett had attempted to steal the six bottles of spirits to sell and buy food.

 

Mr Glendenning asked magistrates to let Barrett work with the probation services to help tackle his problems with drink and drugs.

But the Swindon bench instead opted to jail him, activating his eight week suspended prison sentence. He was sentenced to a further four weeks inside for the shoplifting and going equipped charges. This will be served concurrently to the eight week prison sentence. Barrett must also pay a £115 victim surcharge.

Christmas Eve booze thief

A homeless man who swigged from a bottle of Irish Cream in a branch of Iceland on Christmas Eve had every intention of paying for it, his lawyer said.

Defending, Mark Glendenning compared client Gerard Mir’s behaviour to that of a shopper taking a bite from an apple before paying for it at the tills.

But the 42-year-old, of no fixed address, had no means of paying for the alcohol.

Mir pleaded guilty to shoplifting and a public order offence.

Greg Dono, prosecuting, said police had been called to the town centre after man later confirmed to be Mir was spotted with the shattered remnants of a glass bottle in his hand: “Those in attendance were concerned the defendant was trying to make a weapon out of the broken glass.”

Mir was later found in the Iceland branch in Havelock Square with cuts to his hand. He declined offers of first aid and walked out into the square as police officers dealt with a separate incident.

The homeless man returned to Iceland, picking a £6 bottle of Irish Cream from the shelves and drinking from it. He was arrested for shoplifting, as store staff found he had no means of paying for the alcohol.

Defence solicitor Mr Glendenning said Mir had recently found himself homeless and had taken to drinking heavily as a way of “getting past the deprivation” of life on the streets.

He had earlier bought a bottle of wine. When it slipped from his hands and hit the ground, Mir had smashed the remains of the bottle in frustration.

Mir, who had spent Christmas Day in police cells, intended to leave Swindon to seek help from family in Wokingham, Mr Glendenning said.

Magistrates demanded Mir pay £6 compensation to Iceland, but ordered no other penalty.

 

Drunk and disorderly in Toothill

A town centre woman who screamed obscenities at police officers has been fined.

But magistrates wrote off Gemma O’Malley’s £100 fines, deeming it paid by time served. The 34-year-old, who appeared at court on Boxing Day dressed in a baggy grey tracksuit, had been in police cells since Sunday.

Prosecuting, Greg Dono said police had been called to Stratford Close, Toothill, on November 27 to reports of a disturbance in the road.

When officers arrived they found O’Malley screaming and swaying on her feet. She declined offers of help and instead swore repeatedly at the police officers. When she went to kick out at them, they arrested her for being drunk and disorderly.

O’Malley, of John Street, pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly and failing to surrender to the court for a hearing on December 19.

Mark Glendenning, defending, said his client accepted being drunk and disorderly and apologised to the officers and the court.

He told magistrates his client had been arrested on suspicion of aiding an offender on December 23 following an alleged attempted murder at a flat on Aylesbury Street, Swindon. No further action was being taken against O’Malley on that matter.

Magistrates fined O’Malley £100 and ordered a £30 victim surcharge. Both payments were deemed paid by time served in the police cells.

Insurance claims to be put on trial

A Devizes man whose mother died the night before his trial for driving offences has been given a chance to explain why he was uninsured when he was caught driving his grandmother’s car.

Winston Burke, 35, of Anzio Road, Devizes, was this month cleared by magistrates of taking his grandparent’s car without consent.

But Burke failed to appear for the trial, as his mother had died just hours earlier. The Devizes man was back at Swindon Magistrates Court on Boxing Day, after he was picked up on a warrant for failing to attend the December 13 trial.

Andrew Watts-Jones, defending, said his client wanted a chance to explain the reasons behind his lack of car insurance.

Magistrates said no action would be taken on the charge of failing to surrender to the court and they granted Burke a special reasons hearing at Salisbury Magistrates' Court on January 28 to deal with the charge of driving without insurance.

Breach

Lee Staples, 24, of Beaulieu Close, Toothill, appeared before magistrates after he was arrested on a warrant for failing to attend a probation order breach hearing earlier this month. His case was adjourned to January 8 at Swindon Magistrates' Court.