Man who breached community service order gets 20 more hours

Sunday 29 October 2023

A man who has completed only 10 hours of a 70-hour community service order, and repeatedly missed sessions and appointments, has been given an extra 20 hours of unpaid work to complete.

The Magistrate's Court heard that 21-year-old Alfie Jack Atterbury received the initial community service order on 16 February for attempting to import cannabis to Jersey.

But since then he has only turned up to two five-hour sessions. Atterbury was also given a probation order but failed to turn up for three appointments.

Crown Advocate Katie Ridley, prosecuting, added that he had breached both orders after being convicted of possession of cannabis on 25 May.

Advocate Nicholas Miere, defending, said Atterbury was seeking  a job and was “a good worker who had made some very foolish errors in terms of his drug use”.

He said he had missed some sessions and appointments due to illness.

Atterbury claimed he had been unable to inform the services he would be absent because his mobile phone was broken.

However the Magistrate, Bridget Shaw, said: “This is a very poor record of complying and a very lame excuse. I just don’t accept that there were no alternatives.”

She said community service orders were the direct alternative to prison, so those who breach them can be sent to custody.

But she told him: “I will give you one final chance. No future chances will be given.”