Addict walks to freedom (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Addict walks to freedom

DRUG addict burglar Michael Challoner has walked free from court after admitting burglary.

Although he has a long history of offending, a judge at Swindon crown court decided he didn't have to jail him.

Instead the 25-year-old has been put on a new drug rehabilitation requirement to help him kick the habit.

Sarah Regan, prosecuting, said the occupant of a house on Montague Street was in bed on a morning in May when he heard a loud knocking at the front door.

After looking out of the window and seeing the defendant, who he did not recognise, the man decided to go back to bed and not answer the door.

The court was told that the knocking was so loud that a neighbour heard the noise and thought it was her door that was being called on and also looked out.

A few minutes later the householder heard a loud banging at his back door.

Miss Regan said that as he made his way round he called the police and told them what was happening.

"He saw the car he had seen earlier and told the police the registration number," she said.

"He went back to his own garden and there was no sign of the male.

"But as he got close to the house he saw the man in the house in his own living room.

"He called to him and the defendant ran off."

She said Challoner went to Summer Street to the home of his former girlfriend's brother who he asked for a change of clothes and not to answer the door to the police.

When questioned by police he denied any wrongdoing telling officers that all the witnesses were wrong.

Challoner, of Chestnut Avenue, Pinehurst, pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary and asked for a further nine counts of theft and deception to be taken into considera-tion.

The court heard that he had a number of previous convictions for burglary.

Andrew Hobson, defending, said that the break-in was committed on impulse by his client to get some money.

"He has also shown some remorse. He told me he believes that this sort of offence is unacceptable and realises how upsetting it would be for the victim," he said.

"It was committed by someone in the vice of a drug addiction."

He said he had been in custody awaiting sentence for almost three months and used that time to get off drugs.

Passing sentence, Judge John McNaught said: "This was a bad burglary by a man who has done a lot of bad things including burglary.

"You know, I am sure, that people who go on committ-ing burglaries start counting at three years these days.

"That is what you are up against."

He said he was passing an 18-month drug rehabilita-tion requirement "with a lot of hesitation" but warned him if he failed he faced jail.