A Shropshire man who has committed more than 120 offences has escaped jail - despite a judge claiming he had “never seen anyone with so many convictions”.
Damon Watts, of Crowmere Road, Shrewsbury, was given a final chance by Judge Robin Onions when he appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.
The 36-year-old was back in the dock to be sentenced for a theft from the TK Maxx store in the town centre in December last year.
Judge Onions described his list of previous convictions as “astonishing” but admitted he had made “remarkable progress”.He said: “I have never seen this many convictions for one person before.”
But the judge decided to give Watts one last chance after hearing he had been sticking to a stringent set of conditions placed upon him, included keeping appointments with the probation service. Watts walked away from the court after being sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work in the community.
In sentencing him the judge said: “The judge took a chance on you on the last occasion by deferring sentence to today and you have made remarkable progress.”
The Judge read out a letter from Watts’s mother describing her shame at her son’s criminal record but stating that she had seen a marked change in him in recent weeks.
One Comment
Judge Robin certainly knows his Onions …… His observations are most astute and this individual has most certainly made “astonishing and remarkable progress” as a career Criminal ………… Perhaps a commendation is in Order………….