Judge gives ‘one more chance’ to a man who is banned from South Shields town centre
A man who is banned from entering South Shields town centre has been given “one more chance” by a judge.
A judge set on jailing a South Tyneside alcoholic for 32 weeks left him at liberty after he told her in a heartfelt plea: “I don’t want to be dead at this stage.”
Steven Smith’s emotional appeal from the dock persuaded District Judge Zoe Passfield to give him what she assured was one last chance.
The judge told him she had already written out his sentence of imprisonment before she had even come into court to hear the full case against him.
Just two days earlier, on Monday, September 21, Smith, 43, had appeared before her on the same charge of breaching a criminal behaviour order (CBO).
Banned from South Shields town centre
On that occasion, Smith, of Crieff Grove, Brockley Whins, admitted doing so by venturing into South Shields town centre three times while prohibited.
But he confessed to breaching it on Monday, September 14, Saturday, September 19, and again the following day.
However, just 24 hours after being given the benefit of the doubt and having his sentence deferred by her, he was again arrested inside his exclusion zone.
It led to his second appearance in the dock at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court in just 48 hours.
‘He was trying to get help with his alcohol’
Defence solicitor Alastair Naismith said Smith was walking to an alcohol treatment support centre in River Drive when he inadvertently went where he should not.
Mr Naismith added: “He knows the position he’s in. He was trying to get help with his alcohol because he is going to kill himself.”
Of his chances of being spared jail, Mr Naismith added: “He tells me that he’s probably at the end of the road.”
He told the judge Smith, who pleaded guilty to breaching the CBO, had asked to speak to her directly, to which she replied she also wanted that.
Judge Passfied told him: “Mr Smith, it’s just two days since I saw you and I said to make sure you know where you are.”
In reply, Smith stood to say a map of the prohibited area was not clear.
He added: “I was just trying to get with what other people are telling me to do, support workers.
“I don’t want to be dead at this stage, I want to sort my life out. I didn’t mean to enter the zone, it was just a mistake.
“I know how to do it now. I don’t want to keep failing this. I’m really sorry about this, judge, I really am.”
‘One more chance’
Judge Passfield told him: “I’ve got to be honest. Just before I came into court, I wrote out your sentence and that was 32 weeks in prison.
“If you do get to the end of the road on this, it’s not a couple of weeks inside, it’s a lengthy period inside.
“I’m going to give you one more chance, one more. Next time, it’s 32 weeks.”
She said she was again persuaded to defer his sentence to the same court Wednesday, November 18.
The judge added: “Mr Smith, please, please make sure I don’t see you before the 18th of November for your deferred sentence.
“If you have any doubt about where you can go in South Shields, just don’t go.”