A heroin addict who is turning his life around was given a second chance by a magistrate this week after admitting a break-in from almost three years ago.

Magistrate William Francis gave Saje Nearon, 24, a six month jail sentence suspended for two years for the break-in and theft of cash and cigarettes from the Paraquet Restaurant in Paget on June 27, 2001.

Crown counsel Wayne Caines said Nearon had been thrown out of the drug treatment programme for frequently breaking the rules.

When he was entered into the programme in October 2001 he was given the chance to “wipe the slate clean” and tell about all his previous offences, but Nearon failed to disclose the Paraquet break-in.

Mr. Caines said Nearon, who had been addicted to heroin since his early teens and has many previous convictions, had failed to take advantage of previous non-custodial sentences.

But Nearon's lawyer, Richard Hector, said his client had committed so many offences he had forgotten to mention the Paraquet incident and had nothing to gain from concealing it.

His client was arrested in November 2003 and was originally incorrectly charged with committing the Paraquet break-in in 2003. He at first denied it, saying he had been in custody at the time. The date of the charge was later amended to 2001.

Mr. Hector said Nearon, who now lives with his parents in Mount Hill Twin Lane, Pembroke, had been described by a drug counsellor as someone “who looks like he has lived the life of a 50-year-old”.

But in recent drug counselling sessions he had stayed clean, and counsellors stated “he has much to offer the youth of this country” and “the future is full of opportunity and promise”.

A drug counsellor at Westgate Correctional Facility gave a statement urging Mr. Francis not to jail Nearon, stating it would be “more detrimental because he has made strides that even he did not think were possible”.

As well as giving Nearon, who is now employed at the Governmet's Department of Works and Engineering, a suspended sentence, he fined him $600 and ordered him to pay the Paraquet $200 compensation.

Man who breached probation appeals for help

A man who breached his two-year probation admitted he needed help after he tested positive on several occasions for drug use during his probation.

Jahnia Antonio Thompson, 28, was convicted of robbery in January last year and was sentenced to two years in prison and two years' probation including drug treatment.

In August of 2001 Thompson and another man were involved in robbing a woman while she walked home late at night accompanied by a female cyclist on Happy Valley Road.

In court this week Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons said: “You've disappointed me but I'm not the important one in this case, you are.”

According to reports done by the Department of Court Services, Thompson was admitted to Harbour Lights at the Salvation Army and was required to submit to urine tests.

Between February 28 and March 2 Thompson tested positive to heroin in his urine. He had also used profanity during an art class. On March 3 he was dismissed from the programme and before he left he broke the doors at the facility.

Thompson explained that the manager verbally assaulted him as he was attempting to leave the premises and his anger got the best of him and that he pushed the door too hard on his way out.

On seven occasions after leaving Harbour Lights, Thompson tested positive for drug use and he was turned away from Camp Spirit due to his violent behaviour.

He was accepted into Turning Point and successfully finished the programme but failed to meet his required after care appointments.

“I was clean and I went to work at the aquarium,” Thompson said. He also said he did not have access to a telephone to make the appointments and he added that he was angry because confidential information had been reported to a friend's family.

“Didn't you realise the importance of that decision,” Ms Justice Simmons said.

She added that his decision now left him standing with two guards, dressed in orange and on his way back to prison.

Thompson said he was all right with returning to prison because he needed the help but Ms Justice Simmons said he would only return to society having to “face the demons”.

She revoked his probation and sentenced him to two years' imprisonment with time in custody taken into consideration. She also recommended that he begin a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) course or equivalent, get treatment for substance abuse, and take anger management courses.

Teen admits owning unlicensed pit bull

An 18-year-old pleaded guilty in Magistrates' Court to owning an unlicensed pit bull.

The court heard that Cesspit, Jakai Dillas' black, female pit bull, was taken from his Railway Trail Road, Southampton property by a dog warden because it was unlicensed.

In court, Dillas pleaded guilty to keeping an unlicensed pit bull but he pleaded not guilty to obstructing the dog warden's path as he attempted to take Cesspit away.

Acting Senior Magistrate Carlisle Greaves set Dillas' bail at $500 to appear for trial on March 2.