Wearside thief warned by judge he has one more chance to convince her he should not be jailed
A Wearside thief who stole £400 worth of fuel just days after being spared jail has been warned by a judge her goodwill is starting to run out.
District Judge Zoe Passfield, sitting at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, told Stuart Stoker he had less than a month to show a willingness to engage with rehabilitation support services – or face the consequences.
The judge added the 48-year-old, of South Burn Terrace, New Herrington, must keep a planned appointment with a drug and alcohol agency.
If a “glowing report” is not returned about his improved attitude to staying crime-free, he may find himself behind bars.
That could be by the activation of a suspended sentence imposed on him by the same court on Wednesday, November 12 last year, she said.
His jail term of four months, suspended for 18 months, was for offences including drug-driving and driving while banned.
At his latest hearing, Stoker admitted offending again just five days later.
On Monday, November 17, he made off without paying for £100 of diesel from the Falcon service station at Pelton, Chester-le-Street.
And he repeated the trick on Saturday, November 22, at a BP petrol station in Chester-le-Street, where he helped himself to £122 of diesel.
Two days later, he targeted Shell’s outlet in Tursdale Road, Bowburn, County Durham, and drove away with £178 of fuel, prosecutor Yetunde Alake said.
Stoker, who has 19 previous convictions from 45 offences, the last in July 2025, pleaded guilty to three counts of making off without payment.
Angus Westgarth, defending, said he believed his client could rehabilitate. He said: “He has an unenviable record and the first hurdle we have to get over is that suspended sentence.
“The first offence was within five days of that order being imposed. He’s not been convicted of any further offences since.
“From the knowledge I have of Mr Stoker in the past, he’s been a prolific offender but has calmed down.
“He has been diagnosed with lung cancer and the tumour isn’t growing at the moment, it is being controlled.
“He completed a drug rehabilitation programme in April. There has been some good compliance on the suspended sentence order.
“I originally said to Mr Stoker that you’re going to prison today. I believe there’s a prospect of rehabilitation, given the strength of what we’ve heard today.”
Judge Passfield told Stoker she expected him to attend a meeting with drug and alcohol treatment service Wear Recovery.
The agency would then report its findings about him to the Probation Service, which would then make them known to her.
The judge told Stoker he must come back before her at the same court on Thursday, August 20, adding: “I want to try to get you back on the right path, it seems you’re veering off it a little bit.
“It’s Wear Recovery. If you don’t go, I’m going to have to consider activating your suspended sentence order.
“You’ve got just over three weeks to ensure that’s a glowing report. That is up to you.”