Woman who didn't want to be seen doing community service gets order extended

Tuesday 04 July 2023

A woman who was worried her work colleagues would see her carrying out community service has had an extra 20 hours added to her sentence.

Amanda Webster (56) admitted breaching the order and said she had refused to carry out one session in case she was spotted by her colleagues or ex-partner.

Webster had been sentenced to 100 hours of community service on 18 January for failing to provide a specimen to police, and had completed 30 hours of the order by 3 June. But Legal Adviser Francis Burak told the Magistrate’s Court that she refused to undertake that day's gardening work at First Tower.

He said: "She said she had colleagues who would see her carrying out the work and her former partner was in the area."

Advocate Olaf Blakeley, defending, said that up until that time Webster’s work record had been very good.

"She was always polite and always co-operative and her attention to detail had been noted. She is a compliant person,"he said

However, on the day in question, he noted: "She was physically shaking, she was crying. The question is whether in fact she was capable of carrying out any community service that day.

"She had a real anxiety that if anyone saw her carrying out community service it might put her employment at risk. The fear was very real for her."

But adding an extra 20 hours to her sentence, Magistrate Bridget Shaw told Webster: "You can’t pick and choose what work you are prepared to do. There is no way that the Community Service Unit can tailor orders for individual people.

"You just need to get on with it. It’s an awful lot better than spending several months in La Moye."

And she warned: "If there is another breach you will be back in court and the court may not give you another opportunity."