Just seen this in the Echo..
Our judicial system is so wrong in so many ways!!
Spared from jail: the man with 61 criminal offences
Mar 27 2008 by Chloe Griffiths, Liverpool Echo
A PROLIFIC thief who tried to steal from a hospital and a church has been spared prison.
Kenneth Wright had been convicted of 61 offences on 24 different occasions, many of theft, since 1997.
But Liverpool crown court heard the 32-year-old sunk to new depths when he was caught trying to steal from the Royal Liverpool hospital and a Baptist church, where ministers had previously taken pity on him and given him money.
At the time of the raids, Wright was the subject of a community order for a previous offence of theft.
But Judge Graham Morrow QC decided to suspend an eight-month prison sentence for 12 months after hearing Wright was now prepared to rid himself of his long-term addiction to drink and drugs.
Fraser Lindsay, defending, told the court Wright was a “weak-willed man” whose life had been blighted by tragedy and depression.
He added that Wright turned to his “old friend” of drink and drugs every time things got hard.
In the weeks running up to the hospital raid, Wright was struggling to cope after losing his job.
At about 11pm on June 2 he was seen wandering around the area of St Paul’s eye unit.
When challenged he claimed he was lost, but when officers searched Wright he had £48 in his pocket in loose change.
A nearby charity box was found to have been emptied.
Wright, of no fixed address, later admitted burglary with intent to steal.
After his arrest, and while still on bail, Wright went on to steal from the Pentecost Baptist church on Coleridge Street, Kensington.
The court heard Wright was friends with ministers there, who had given him money, but while inside the church he noticed an open door.
Moments later he was caught rifling through an upper room, looking for valuables.
Judge Morrow warned Wright he had been close to returning to jail, but instead ordered him to attend a six-month drug rehabilitation programme.
He also told Wright he would be under supervision for a year and ordered him to live at a residential home run by the Park View Project, who work with addicts.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liver...0252-20680523/
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