A man who failed to complete a community service order been given another chance to carry it out – avoiding a prison sentence by an “extremely narrow margin”.

Appearing in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Alexandre Jardim Vieira (34) admitted breaching a community service order.

Legal adviser Kerry Grieve, prosecuting, told court that Vieira had been convicted of three driving offences after he tipped over his motorbike with a passenger.

In December, Vieirawas given 140 hours of community service for driving without insurance alongside a £2,700 fine for careless driving and failing to change his address, and he was disqualified from driving for a year.

Vieira had a meeting with the Probation Service, where he made arrangements to do community service around his shift rotation.

But he missed several sessions, saying he had to work.

By the time he appeared in court yesterday, he had completed two five-hour days of community service – a total of ten hours.

Andy Le Marrec, Community Service Manager at the Probation Service, told the court they had tried to give him a chance to make arrangements to “try and make the order work” after his first missed sessions.

“As the court can see, it hasn’t worked,” Mr Le Marrec said, adding: “He just didn’t meet the Service halfway.”

He added that Vieira had no known behavioural issues.

Advocate Ashley Quenault, defending, argued that Vieira had been worried about his finances and keeping his job when he missed his community service, but that he “very much wants to complete it”.

Advocate Quenault added that Vieira had written a letter to the court in which he accepted “full responsibility for the breach” and that his client also accepted that he should have contacted the Probation Service to be excused.

“He acknowledges that court time and resources have been wasted. He accepts his compliance has been poor and he is now in a serious position,” he said.

“He tells me he accepts that his personal circumstances, whilst difficult, are not an adequate excuse to not attend.”

Prison, he added, would mean Vieira would lose his job and he wouldn’t be able to pay his fines. He had £1,700 left to pay, the court heard.

Assistant Magistrate Adam Clarke told Vieira: “By what I can only describe as an extremely narrow margin, I have concluded that given the impact that custody would have on your circumstances, I am going to give you one final chance.”

He added 20 hours to Vieira’s community service.

The Assistant Magistrate said that he expected the Probation Service to bring Vieira back to court if there was even a single breach, adding that there was a “very very strong possibility that you will be dealt with by way of a custodial alternative”.