Drinker 'Buck' ends up in court again (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Drinker 'Buck' ends up in court again

A HOMELESS man with 92 previous convictions for more than 100 offences has admitted being drunk in a public place.

Martin "Buck" Rogers, 54, pleaded guilty to the offence at Swindon Magistrates' Court.

He was arrested at 6pm on Friday when police saw him staggering towards on coming traffic in Islington Street.

Rob Welling, prosecuting, said that Rogers was well known to the court and that his latest offence was similar to his long history of offending.

"Dare I say that Mr Rogers is a very familiar face in this court," he said.

"This offence is entirely in keeping with his pattern of offending that includes 92 convictions for more than 100 offences."

David Gostling, defending, said that Rogers had not been acting disorderly and that he was arrested for his own good.

"There is no argument, there was certainly nothing disorderly about him.

"He was staggering into the road and it was basically for his own protection."

No order for costs was made and Rogers was set free after spending a night in the cells.

The latest offence came days after the Crown Prosecution Service failed in a bid to get him banned from the town centre altogether through an anti social behaviour order. On Wednesday last week Rogers was in Swindon Magistrates' Court after police found him collapsed in a rose garden outside Wat Tyler House on Princes Street.

The ASBO would have banned him from the town centre and from entering any place that sells alcohol in the town.

But on that occasion magistrates decided against imposing the ban and gave him a £50 fine.