Jail for man who defied court order to carry out unpaid work

A lazy Sunderland man who defied a court by refusing to carry out unpaid work under the terms of a community order has been jailed.

Mohammed Haque, 24, of Otto Terrace, Ashbrooke, is starting six weeks behind bars for his deliberate non-compliance.

In June he was ordered to complete 100 hours of work under a 12-month order as punishment for being caught carrying an illegal knuckle duster in the city.

But by mid-July he had failed to obey and was hauled back into court, where an extra 50 hours of work was added to his tally.

Haque refused to learn his lesson and breached the order again by failing to attend two appointments with the Probation Service in August.

At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, District Judge Zoe Passfield heard he had completed just three-and-a-half hours of the order.

She found the single breach allegation proved and revoked the order, replacing it with the prison term and telling Haque he had 'done virtually nothing'.

Joanne Gatens, defending, told the judge there were grounds for revoking the community order and replacing it with a suspended sentence.

Mrs Gatens said Haque was in employment but admitted his lack of compliance meant he was in danger of being jailed for an original offence which did not carry a prison term.