Jail despite plea

Nine months for "discomforting" housebreaking by serial offender

A LEGAL eagle made an impassioned plea to a sheriff today not to send a housebreaker with the hepatitis C virus and a drink problem to prison..
But it failed to sway Wick Sheriff Andrew Berry who jailed serial offender John Hastings for nine months and commented that he had initially considered a stiffer term.
The sheriff said that the type of offence was relatively "unusual" in the far north but 'discomforting' where, in certain situations, people were able to leave their home and cars unlocked.
Hastings, 42, admitted on indictment having broken into a house in Parkview Terrace, Latheronwheel, on August 1, last year and stolen two jackets, a motorbike helmet, three mobile phones and a bottle of alcohol. He entered the house through a bedroom window but disposed of some of the stolen items by leaving them outside a second hand shop.
Solicitor-advocate, Ross Brown said that Hastings had suffered as a child which had an impact on him and he found it difficult to engage with social workers and other health professionals but required to do so if he was going to have any satisfactory quality of life.
Mr Brown, said it was 'sad' to relate that, on top of everything else Hastings had to contend with the fact that he had been infected with the Hepatitis C virus and treatment for it would only be medically feasible once his alcohol addiction was addressed.
Hastingsm of 31 Cairndhuna Terrace, Wick, did not have his troubles to seek and it was thought likely he was also suffering from a significant depression disorder. However, the accused had a "certain steelyness" in his character and Mr Brown was convinced it was not to late for him to get his life back on track.
Sheriff Berry said that Hastings had a long history of offending stretching back some 25 years and the housebreaking was a serious offence.
The sheriff continued a breach of a current period of community service, also admitted by Hastings, and told him that sentence on that offence would be reviewed in two months time.