A 36-year-old man has appeared in court charged with breaching a community service order.

David Michael Yeomans was sentenced to 200 hours’ community service in December after conning £1,200 out of man with a tobacco scam.

But on Tuesday, Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes heard how Yeomans had not yet worked any of the hours.

Prosecutor Michael Jelski told the court how Yeomans was sentenced on December 6 after arranging to meet a man to sell him tobacco in Ballaugh.

Yeomans took the man’s £1,200 but then ran to his car and drove off without giving him any tobacco.

He was given his first appointment with probation on December 16 but on December 14 contacted them to say he had a doctor’s appointment.

The meeting was re-arranged for December 19 but Yeomans failed to show up or contact probation.

He was then given another appointment on December 22 but again failed to turn up or let probation know.

A new meeting date was set for December 29 but Yeomans did not attend for a third time without making any contact.

He was ordered to attend a breach meeting on January 3 but called probation on the day to say he had moved address and only just got their letter so he could not attend.

Yet another date was set for January 5 but Yeomans didn’t turn up until January 6 and said he had attended on the wrong day.

On being charged with breaching the community service order Yeomans apologised for his absences and told probation he had recently lost his job.

He said he had been ‘all over the place’.

Defending him in court, advocate Ian Kermode asked that the order be allowed to continue saying that the first three absences had been due to letters going to his old address.

Mrs Hughes agreed to allow the order to continue but said if there were any more breaches Yeomans would be likely to be resentenced.