Man jailed for breaking terms of early release
Newbury man disappeared as soon as he was released
A NEWBURY man who persistently fails to comply with court orders has been sent back to prison.
Paul Fee, 39, was released early from jail under licence for his latest bout of offending.
But Chris White, prosecuting, told Reading magistrates on Thursday that, as soon as he was released, he disappeared.
Mr White added: “He failed to comply with supervision requirements and has been out of contact since September last year.”
Mr Fee, who lives in Newbury but is currently of no fixed address, admitted breaching the terms of his early release from prison on licence.
A probation report suggested sending Mr Fee back to prison, the court heard.
He has previously been jailed for failing to comply with court orders.
But Sally Thomson, defending, urged the district judge to give her client another chance.
She conceded that Mr Fee would not be suitable for unpaid work and that a curfew requirement was unenforceable due to his ‘street homeless’ status.
But Mrs Thomson said: “I suggest a financial penalty rather than sending him back to prison. He is currently living on the streets and is not in receipt of benefits.
“He wanted to relocate to Wokingham but was told he would have to start the process of getting a prescription for [the heroin substitute] methadone all over again – so he fell off the wagon, as it were.
“He can’t get accommodation and is back to square one.”
District judge Shanta Deonarine told Mr Fee: “Mrs Thomson has spoken long and well on your behalf.
“However I have a number of problems with your case, such as your lack of engagement with probation and your disengagement with your methadone script.
“You have no address so you could not be chased up for a fine.”
Ms Deonarine sent Mr Fee back to prison for 14 days.