Newport thief is on ‘last chance’ (From South Wales Argus)
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Newport thief is on ‘last chance’
6:10pm Thursday 16th August 2012 in Gwent news
A NEWPORT man who walked out of unpaid work is on his “last chance”, Caerphilly magistrates said.
Paul Townsend, 24, of Marshfield Street, was sentenced in March to a 12- month community order with 40 hours’ unpaid work, for taking £550 worth of cigarettes and cash from a Bristol pub, including £160 which had been for charity.
Gareth Driscoll, mitigating, said that during his unpaid work, Townsend was part of a group removing graffiti using jet washers, but as he takes epilepsy medication he is not meant to operate machinery.
“He has a significant speech impediment and found it difficult to communicate this,” said Mr Driscoll. “Everyone was on a cigarette break and afterwards he then simply left the programme.”
Magistrates revoked the defendant’s original sentence and gave him a 12-month community order with supervision, and extended his hours of unpaid work to 60.
