Court spares serial offender from custody despite breaching supervision order

A serial offender has been given a chance by the courts after he breached his supervision requirements by committing further offences after his release from prison.

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on Wednesday, August 30, how Sam Johnson, 22, of Macclesfield Road, Buxton, had originally been in prison for two assaults and for possessing drugs but after his release under supervision he committed two damage offences and an assault.

Johnson was given eight-weeks of custody suspended for 24 months on August 23 for his latest offences but he was back in court because these offences were committed while he had been subject to a post-sentence supervision order which had therefore been breached.

Defence solicitor Trevor Feehily said: “Mr Johnson is a young man with his fair share of problems. Mental health has been a factor as have drugs.

“He has taken positive steps to address these issues in recent months.”

Mr Feehily explained that Johnson has found accommodation and this has been a great source of stability and he has changed his medication and he has been regularly attending with probation.

Mr Feehily added: “Clearly, he got into a scrape and he appeared before court last week and that resulted in Johnson being made the subject to a two-year suspended sentence order. It is hoped that this is a temporary blip.”

Johnson’s latest offences were committed on August 18 and involved damaging a Suzuki Vitara vehicle and a Toyota Aygo vehicle, at Market Place, Buxton, and assaulting a police officer at the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton.

His suspended prison sentence - imposed on August 23 - included a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and 150 hours of unpaid work.

Magistrates opted to spare Johnson from a custodial sentence for breaching his supervision requirements and instead imposed a default order with 20 hours of extra unpaid work to supplement his existing suspended sentence requirements.