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14/05/2008, 2:46 PM trekker Joined on 09/11/2007 Norwich Posts 60 Prolific offender ecsapes jail term From todays EDP A prolific criminal with an appalling record of shoplifting and driving while disqualified was spared jail yesterday so he could rebuild his drug-blighted life. Glen Miller, of St Peter's Plain, Yarmouth, has been continually in and out of the justice system since he was 12 and has previous convictions for more than 150 offences, mostly shoplifting and theft. Most of his long history of crime and prison sentences relates to his drug addiction. Yesterday, Miller was handed a five-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after he admitted taking a £479 radio system from Halfords in Yarmouth and two counts of driving while disqualified. He also asked for 13 other shoplifting offences and two counts of deception to be taken into consideration. Yarmouth Magistrates' Court heard Miller had no regard to the power of the court as he also appeared yesterday for his 10th conviction for driving while disqualified. Gary Starling, prosecuting, said Miller had already been jailed five times for driving while banned and his latest two offences from April 7 were a “flagrant breach of court orders”. Miller's defence lawyer, Annette Hall, had pleaded that he should not be sent to prison because he wanted to turn his life around by confronting his drug addiction. Magistrates heard that Miller had been seen on CCTV on April 7 taking the stereo from Halfords on the Gapton Hall retail park and stuffing it down his trousers. When arrested, he confessed to 13 other thefts, including taking electrical items worth up to £400, and two counts of deception in a bid to show officers he no longer wanted to lead a life of crime. He had also driven twice on that day - in breach of a previous driving ban. Mr Starling said: “He is a prolific offender. He commits these offences to fund his drug habit.” Ms Hall had argued that instead of going to prison her client should be put on a drug rehabilitation course to address his addiction - the root cause of all his offending. The court heard that all of Miller's previous prison sentences had done nothing to stop his shoplifting and other crimes. Ms Hall said: “This is his opportunity to show you [the magistrates], the public, the police and to show himself what he can actually do and achieve. He is desperately trying to prove to everybody that he will change if given that opportunity.” As well as his suspended prison sentence, Miller was banned from driving for 36 months and placed on an 18-month community supervision order. Sentencing Miller, chairman of the bench Ken Barnes said: “You need to demonstrate you have the will to turn your life around and stop this appalling, dangerous and irresponsible behaviour.”   It seems more likely now that a pensioner with no previous convictions will get 3 months for not paying council tax! Debate anyone?     Report

14/05/2008, 4:09 PM Dougal Joined on 21/02/2008 Posts 120 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term "Yarmouth Magistrates' Court heard Miller had no regard to the power of the court as he also appeared yesterday for his 10th conviction for driving while disqualified". Miller's disregard for the power of the court is hardly surprising, but a new 36 month driving ban should sort him out, "and stop this appalling, dangerous and irresponsible behaviour"!  How many times does the magistrate expect him to break this new ban? I don't think global warming is causing sea levels to rise.  Instead, Britain is slowly but steadily sinking below the waves.    Report

14/05/2008, 4:22 PM Lionheart Joined on 24/04/2008 Posts 298 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term Ms Hall had argued that instead of going to prison her client should be put on a drug rehabilitation course to address his addiction - the root cause of all his offending. Seems the best action to me. Rather than continuing to spend tax payers money to keep him in gaol - which apparently doesn't work - why not put him somewhere to 'fix him up'?    Report

14/05/2008, 5:56 PM Equitator Joined on 04/11/2003 Posts 1,003 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term Seems like a case for preventive detention (remember that?) to me. He can do the drugs bit while inside with plenty of time to assure success. Equitator    Report

14/05/2008, 7:14 PM spindrift Joined on 04/04/2006 Posts 2,440 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term Prison's the easiest place to get drugs.    Report

14/05/2008, 9:35 PM ROBERT Joined on 16/08/2003 NR Gt. Yarmouth Posts 3,442 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term As is pointed out with the pensioner example........... There could not be anymore truth in expressing the fact that there is no logic what so ever in our justice system. With such limited rules to live by, the free for all allowed to crimials makes one question at times who is better off .... the law abiding or the criminals in our society...?    Report

15/05/2008, 2:07 AM Equitator Joined on 04/11/2003 Posts 1,003 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term  spindrift wrote: Prison's the easiest place to get drugs. Why?    Report

15/05/2008, 10:18 AM nevermind Joined on 28/05/2007 Posts 1,434 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term A judge in Ipswich has revoked the community order to be served by Michael Lee, twice world speedway champion, he has work commitments in Poland, so he says and after having served a few hours of his comunity service, he is free, a humanitarian judgement after all. he served 7.5 hours of his 160 hours community service and because he is working fulltime and his barrister and probation officers spoke up for him, he got off, good.   If readers remember a case from some years back. A Judge decided to free some four gentlemen endulging in sado masochistic dalliances, within their private four walls, because the European Human rights act allowed this, even if it is illegal in public. Now translate this to thousands of people who grow their own cannabis, because the market is not 'controlled' as the police would have us to know, it is contaminated with glass, sugar and plastics, because they do not want to go to dealers and gangsters. They are also doing something illegal within the privacy of their home, but their cases have never got to the European courts, because the judiciary here has got some serious problems with a law that supercedes british law. Michael Lee is no criminal, nor are thousands of others convicted for the same offences, time to change prohibition, not try to make politics with peoples lifes. nevermind      Report

15/05/2008, 10:28 AM nevermind Joined on 28/05/2007 Posts 1,434 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term here is the link to Michael Lees story in another Archant paper.  http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=News&itemid=IPED13%20May%202008%2014%3A26%3A15%3A010 Why a Kings Lynn mans business was reported in a Suffolk paper, but not here, speaks volumnes. nevermind    Report

15/05/2008, 10:55 AM POG Joined on 31/08/2003 Round and about Posts 976 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term  nevermind wrote: Why a Kings Lynn mans business was reported in a Suffolk paper, but not here, speaks volumnes. nevermind There are a couple of clues in the story: "...at his Suffolk home..." "...court heard that Lee of Freckenham Road, Worlingworth..." "...a judge at Ipswich Crown Court..." "Pathetic," he said, "that's what it is. Pathetic."    Report

15/05/2008, 12:08 PM nevermind Joined on 28/05/2007 Posts 1,434 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term  POG wrote:  nevermind wrote: Why a Kings Lynn mans business was reported in a Suffolk paper, but not here, speaks volumnes. nevermind There are a couple of clues in the story: "...at his Suffolk home..." "...court heard that Lee of Freckenham Road, Worlingworth..." "...a judge at Ipswich Crown Court..." A world champions story is handled by a provincial paper, not one Daily tabloid is picking it up, too busy writing about some celebs poor sob story and amplifying the distrust that exist in the general public. He was a Kings LYnn rider and one would have thought that a Norfolk paper would pick up this story. No, because the emphasis is on demonisisng cannabis and its roughly 5 million users, all doomed to die according to the PM's 'lethal' quote last week, it does not fit into the editorial scheme of life as they know it, that was my point, sorry uyou got hung up on the location. nevermind        Report

15/05/2008, 2:31 PM POG Joined on 31/08/2003 Round and about Posts 976 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term  nevermind wrote: A world champions story is handled by a provincial paper, not one Daily tabloid is picking it up, too busy writing about some celebs poor sob story and amplifying the distrust that exist in the general public. He was a Kings LYnn rider and one would have thought that a Norfolk paper would pick up this story. No, because the emphasis is on demonisisng cannabis and its roughly 5 million users, all doomed to die according to the PM's 'lethal' quote last week, it does not fit into the editorial scheme of life as they know it, that was my point, sorry uyou got hung up on the location. nevermind Sorry Nevermind I was fully aware of what you were getting it, though posting such inaccuracy (Lee lives in Suffolk, not Kings Lynn, though he is a former Kings Lynn rider, the case was in Suffolk, etc.) will do nothing but harm to your argument in the eyes of the anti-cannabis posters. Yes, I know of Lee (a friend spannered for one of his team-mates) though other posters may not be so familiar with stars of yesteryear of such a minority sport. It is a small time news story; Lee, however good he was back in the day, is little more now than a former World Champion from the days of Grandstand and World of Sport. But fret not, one of the national newspapers will probably pick up the story and run it as a column-filler in a couple of days. Whether that be as part of an anti- or pro-cannabis story is yet to be seen...   "Pathetic," he said, "that's what it is. Pathetic."    Report

15/05/2008, 3:04 PM Jill Joined on 15/08/2005 Norfolk Posts 1,796 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term It laways made me very sceptical of Community Service, when I worked there If someone did not turn up to do their service and was returned to court They were given more hours If they didnt turn up in the first place, why give them more? It happened time and time again.    Report

17/05/2008, 6:22 AM john Joined on 07/08/2007 Posts 1,024 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term Jill,I sympathise with anyone who is trying to operate the Community Service Orders.You just cannot employ people to do decorating,gardening etc.because of all the laws connected with Health & Safety,Insurance etc.Local councils are very reluctant to offer help because of the insurance issue.We had a case wher a dozen of these offenders were gong to put some shallow land drains in our football field.the only tools to be used were spades,but right at the last minute the council refused to let the work  be carried out because of the above.We had supervisors,tools etc.but were still turned down.These lads,in a lot of cases would have worked off their sentence and all for a good cause.It was a council owned park.5yrs.on the park is still one big boggy field and the council say they have no money to spend.John    Report

17/05/2008, 11:01 AM keith gerrard Joined on 16/04/2004 Posts 9,881 Re: Prolific offender ecsapes jail term I have never understood how criminals in prison manage to get drugs. This can only happen IMO if the prison officers are in on it or the standards of prison work is abysmal. As to work safety and the daft PC society, it has all but killed off our countries economy so it must be time to bin most of it. Those who still want to be soft on criminals, put the criminals next door to them. Dream on keithgerrard@gerrard24.freeserve.co.uk    Report

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