Drug-addicted burglar jailed (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Drug-addicted burglar jailed

8:40am Tuesday 15th May 2007 in Swindon By Gazette Reporter

A drug addict who burgled a house has been jailed after he failed to comply with a rehabilitation order.

Jean-Claude Candeh was put on a one-year suspended sentence by a judge in November last year after admitting the break in.

The 27-year-old failed to turn up for appointments on a drug rehabilitation requirement and also gave positive urine tests.

But rather than invoke the full sentence Recorder Maria Lamb, sitting at Swindon crown court, jailed him for just 28 weeks.

Rachel Troup, prosecuting, told the court he had been jailed for a year but had it suspended for two years. He was also put on a six-month drug rehabilitation requirement with a one-year supervision order.

But after two failed drug tests he twice failed to attend appointments in February and March. She added that he had not been in touch with the probation service since March 6.

Ruth Armstrong, defending, said one of the positive tests was as a result of him being on prescribed medication, which contained codeine.

She told the hearing that he had successfully completed some of the order and had served 130 days in custody on remand last year awaiting his original sentence.

Despite not turning up for his probation appointments she said he had made it to court from his new home in Leightonstone, east London.

Jailing him for 28 weeks the judge said: "You knew that that was a last chance that you were given when you were given that suspended sentence order.

"I am not going to lecture you about that. The only option you have left this court with is to activate the custodial element of this suspended sentence."

She said she was only imposing just over half of it because of the early compliance and time he had spent behind bars on remand.

Candeh, formerly of Lyndhurst Crescent, Park North, admitted breaching the order. He had originally pleaded not guilty to the burglary of a house on Gooch Street in Swindon town centre on Wednesday, June 14.

Although a fingerprint matching his was found inside the window frame where he got in, the court heard there were only ten ridge characteristics.

At an earlier hearing Swindon crown court was told that until recently a match required 16 ridge characteristics.

But Robin Shellard, defending, said the image had been looked at by an expert for the defence and his client had pleaded guilty.

He said his client could not recall all of the events of the day of the break in as a result of his drug addiction. The court heard that Candeh had a previous conviction for house burglary from 2004 and for burgling a commercial premises a few months later.

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