A 34-year-old man has been given a conditional discharge after breaching the terms of his early prison release
Richard David Bell, also known as Fowler, failed to stay at probation accommodation Tromode House on two occasions.
Prosecuting advocate Rebecca Cubbon told the court that Bell was released from prison on October 4, with a condition to reside at Tromode House, after serving a sentence for burglary, two police assaults, and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.
On October 7, he was given a verbal warning after he didn’t return to the accommodation.
On October 14, he was granted permission to stay at his partner’s home, but was supposed to return to the bail hostel the following day.
He failed to do so and on October 16, a written warning was prepared but not given to Bell as he still hadn’t returned.
A probation report recommended a financial penalty for the breaches and that Bell should be allowed to continue on licence.
Defence advocate Peter Taylor said that his client had initially agreed to go to Tromode House because he was homeless.
However, Bell said that he found it difficult to live there as a lot of people he had been incarcerated with were also there, and he felt they could lead him astray.
He said that he had then found somewhere else to live, in Douglas, and that probation had now given him approval to live at the new address.
Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood said that the breach was minor and at the lower end of the scale, so she was willing to impose a conditional discharge