Defendant free to celebrate birthday (From The Argus)
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'Menace to society' freed by Hove court
6:20pm Friday 26th October 2012 in News By Tim Ridgway, Local government reporter
A JUDGE branded a young criminal a “menace to society” but then spared him jail.
Daniel Hewett burgled a pensioner’s home within weeks of completing a five-year prison term for attacking a foreign student.
Hove Crown Court was told yesterday the 22-year-old had already become institutionalised and finds life behind bars easier than on the outside.
Hewett, of Davigdor Road, Hove, was given two years’ probation and ordered to undergo drug rehabilitation.
He was released from prison in May.
Shortly after midnight on July 7 Hewett climbed through the open ground floor window of a warden-assisted flat in Montpelier Road, Hove.
The man living there, who was in his 70s, had left it ajar for his cat to get in in the night.
When he woke up, he found his 32-inch television and some commemorative cups had been stolen.
A member of the public had spotted two men carrying a television nearby. It was later found abandoned.
Hewett was stopped by a police patrol but was allowed to leave.
Attack
His palm-prints were later found at the flat. Police called at his home two days later and found the cups in his airing cupboard.
In 2007, aged 17, Hewett was jailed for his part in a random gang attack on a Czech student near Hove station. The victim’s eyeball was slashed open with a bottle.
Holly Collinge, defending, said he was immature, easily led and had had mental health problems. She said he found it hard being made to live in a hostel, where he was surrounded by drug addicts.
He turns 23 tomorrow (October 27).
She said: “The reality is he has become institutionalised at a young age.
“It is a sad situation where a young man thinks being in custody is easier.”
As part of his community sentence Hewett must report to court every month for six months, for his drug rehabilitation progress to be checked.
The treatment is for problems with cannabis, cocaine and alcohol.
Judge Lawson told him: “If you are not a danger to the public, you are certainly a menace to the public.
“If you want to spend the rest of your life in prison, doing a stretch here and a stretch there, that is your business.
“But not today.
“On your 23rd birthday, you set about a new existence.”
Hewett said only “Cheers” in response to the judge’s remarks.
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Comments(10)
gusset snatcher
says...
7:13pm Fri 26 Oct 12
nocando
says...
7:17pm Fri 26 Oct 12
rolivan
says...
7:41pm Fri 26 Oct 12
funkyyoyo
says...
8:24pm Fri 26 Oct 12
Dealing with idiots
says...
9:16pm Fri 26 Oct 12
JoeBlow
says...
12:02am Sat 27 Oct 12
Hove Actually wrote:The biggest PRAT would be anyone who jumps to conclusions about a court case from the abbreviated description written in a newspaper.
Who is the biggest PRAT here?
The defendant, the judge or us for putting up with these out of touch morons who fail to send the guilty to gaol and save money by pretending to punish people with "community sentences" where they are free to carry on inflicting misery on people in their twilight years, the very ones we should thank as they gave up their early years without a choice.
The Wolfie
says...
6:53am Sat 27 Oct 12
Bring the US style chain gangs over and have these wasters do some thing useful like sweeping the streets and cleaning out drains.
Morpheus
says...
10:44am Sat 27 Oct 12
Cash Bull
says...
5:16pm Mon 29 Oct 12
nocando wrote:He must be incredibly stupid if Sussex Police caught him, " Hewett was stopped by a police patrol but was allowed to leave. " eventually
Palm prints at the flat, the loot in his airing cupboard, quite clearly a criminal mastermind. He'll be inside before too much longer.
Hove Actually says...
6:35pm Fri 26 Oct 12
The defendant, the judge or us for putting up with these out of touch morons who fail to send the guilty to gaol and save money by pretending to punish people with "community sentences" where they are free to carry on inflicting misery on people in their twilight years, the very ones we should thank as they gave up their early years without a choice.