A 34-YEAR-OLD man who admitted possessing drugs, disobeying police orders and driving illegally has been jailed – at his own request.
The Magistrate’s Court heard that John Michael Childs – who has 49 previous convictions – knew that a jail sentence was likely for his crimes, and told his defence advocate: ‘Now I can get off booze and get myself straight.’
He was imprisoned for six months and three weeks, and banned from driving for six months.
Crown Advocate Lauren Taylor, prosecuting, outlined Childs’s offences, saying that on 1 July last year he was caught with cannabis and on 1 September was caught with cocaine.
That same day he was seen shouting and swearing at the front door of a house and demanding to be allowed in.
He left the area when told to do so by the States police but then disobeyed the order by returning shortly afterwards.
On 13 September, he returned to the house and again created a disturbance in defiance of a police order. He then tried to run away when he was arrested.
On 23 March this year, while on bail, he was caught driving a blue Toyota without a valid licence or insurance.
‘He said he was only warming the car up by driving it round the block,’ the advocate said.
Advocate Chris Baglin, defending, said Childs had hoped that the offences ‘passed the custodial threshold’.
The lawyer told the court that he had discussed the likelihood of a jail sentence with Childs earlier, and added: ‘What he said was: “Now I can get off booze and get myself straight.”’
Advocate Baglin added: ‘He has not the greatest hand of cards dealt to him, and has not played those cards particularly well.
‘He accepts that his drinking has been the issue and custody seems to be way of dealing with it.’
During sentencing, Magistrate Bridget Shaw told Childs: ‘You know you are going to prison today. Put that destructive life behind you.’
She said that if he was released from prison early, the driving ban would remain in place for the full six months.
