Personal trauma leads man back on to drugs (From Gazette Series)

Personal trauma leads man back on to drugs

A MAN absconded from Leyhill Open Prison after a report a relative had been raped, a judge heard on Monday.

Wayne Stevens, 36, was serving a five-year sentence for burglary and theft.

Said Anjali Gohil, defending at Gloucester Crown Court: "As result of this personal trauma he went back on to drugs."

After leaving prison on April 12 last year, Stevens, now of Kingswood, Soiuth Gloucestershire, burgled a house in Gloucester on June 26 where he stole £1,500 worth of belongings, which he sold to buy heroin, said prosecutor Rosalind Cameron-Mowat.

Stevens was re-arrested and taken back to jail five days after the burglary when DNA found at the scene incriminated him. He admitted the offence.

Stevens had committed his first house break-in in 1983, the court heard. He had since brought his tally of offences to 109, having been jailed in 2000 for five years.

Despite his arrest on June and guilty plea in August, it was not until last month magistrates committed him to crown court for sentencing.

Miss Gohil blamed inefficiencies of the court system for the delay.

Having described the reasons behind his absconding, she told the court he had been released on licence from his latest jail term two weeks ago after successfully quitting drugs. Justices had freed him on bail on account of his good progress.

Had it not been for the bizarre history of the case, said Recorder David Lane, QC, then a jail sentence would have been inevitable.

But after the magistrates' decision to grant bail until this hearing he said he was unable to contradict their judgment by imposing a custodial sentence.

Ordering Stevens to do 200 hours of community service and pay his victim £1,500 compensation, with £100 court costs, the judge said: "Do not ever fall into your old ways again."