A hankering for a hot dog has landed 45 year old Eugene "Jinx" Darrell a four months prison sentence.

Senior Magistrate William Francis declined a request by defence counsel Kim Wilson for a conditional discharge and to treat Darrell's behaviour as a social problem not as an offence.

"We have to stop passing the buck," Mr. Francis said. He took into account his guilty plea as well as the fact that he had numerous previous convictions for the same or related offences.

Darrell had approached a Police officer on foot patrol and asked for money to buy a hot dog. "You've got to be kidding," he said when the officer arrested him, the court was told.