An Armagh man sentenced to 100 hours community service for a litany of motoring offences and two assaults has been sentenced to three months in prison after not completing a single hour.
Court heard the 22-year-old had been on remand for offences of a similar nature since December 18 and, therefore, had been unable to engage with probation.
Ryan Cassidy, whose address was given as Maghaberry, appeared at the city’s Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday for breaching the community-based order.
In August, the defendant was handed a combination order of 100 hours of community service and 12 months of probation.
This was for offences of taking a vehicle without permission, driving whilst disqualified, six counts of dangerous driving, six counts of driving whilst uninsured, failing to answer to bail, failing to stop for police, assault on police and common assault.
These had been amassed over several separate incidents.
District Judge Peter Magill commented: “This was imposed for a whole catalogue of offences in August of last year.”
Court heard that the breaches were accepted by Cassidy.
Defence barrister Kevin O’Hare stated: “There had been initial engagement with probation, but Mr Cassidy since December 18 has been a remand prisoner.
“This is for fairly similar road traffic matters.”
He explained: “He hadn’t managed to begin community service as he was very much at the beginning of the process.
“This is not a case of Mr Cassidy flagrantly ignoring a court order as he had intended to follow through with it.”
District Judge Magill stated: “He committed further offences, he just keeps driving and it is not just that, this is dangerous driving.”
Mr O’Hare commented: “This is his first real period in prison and he is going to be in there for some time.”
District Judge Magill said: “You were given a chance by the court, but you offended in the interim and have not been able to take advantage of that chance.
“The court dealt with an awful lot of offending with one sentence and I am not going to tot up these offences but give you a concurrent sentence.”
Cassidy was sentenced to a total of three months in prison and District Judge Magill ordered that the initial three-year disqualification handed to the defendant in August was to carry on.
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