Jail the best place for addict

A YOUNG Shetland drug addict who robbed a man of his mobile phone and stole money and five charity boxes from a rural shop was jailed at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Scott Anderson, aged 20, of 22 Hoofields, Lerwick, appeared from custody to plead guilty to breaking into Midway Stores, in Levenwick, on 25 July to steal the money and robbing the man at a house in the town’s Parkfield estate two days later.

The court heard that Anderson had been out of jail for less than a month on early release from a previous sentence when he committed the offences.

Defence agent Tommy Allan said that the robbery was “at the lower end of the scale” and he had only pled guilty to the break in to avoid naming the others involved in the offence.

Mr Allan said that Anderson had managed to stay free of illegal drugs during his brief period out of prison until these offences were committed, when he had succumbed to temptation.

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However Sheriff Graeme Napier said that Anderson, who is prescribed methadone, had been given every chance over the past three years and he felt the best thing for him was to go back to prison, where has been since 28 July.

The sheriff said: “You are obviously making the most of it in custody, but my take on it is that the only time you actually do anything is when you are forced to do it and when you are at liberty you just mess up with the chances that have been given to you umpteen times over the last few years.

“I don’t think you are mature enough to take the opportunities offered to you by probation.”

Anderson was sent back to prison for a total of 196 days, which includes 42 days of the previous sentence from which he was released early.