A WOMAN who refused to carry out a session of community service because she was worried her colleagues would see her has had an extra 20 hours added to her sentence.
Magistrate Bridget Shaw told Amanda Webster (56) she understood her concern but pointed out: ‘It’s an awful lot better than spending several months in La Moye.’
Webster was sentenced to 100 hours of community service on 18 January for failing to provide a specimen to police, and had completed 30 hours of the order by 3 June.
But legal adviser Francis Burak told the Magistrate’s Court that she refused to undertake the gardening job at First Tower she had been allocated that day.
‘She said she had colleagues who would see her carrying out the work and her former partner was in the area,’ he said.
Webster pleaded guilty to breaching the order.
Advocate Olaf Blakeley, defending, said that up until that time Webster’s work record had been very good.
‘She was always polite and always co-operative and her attention to detail had been noted,’ he said. ‘She is a compliant person.’
However, he said that on the day in question: ‘She was physically shaking, she was crying. The question is whether in fact she was capable of carrying out any community service that day.
‘She had a real anxiety that if anyone saw her carrying out community service it might put her employment at risk. That fear was very real for her.’
But adding an extra 20 hours, the Magistrate told Webster: ‘You can’t pick and choose what work you are prepared to do. There is no way that the community service unit can tailor orders for individual people. You just need to get on with it. It’s an awful lot better than spending several months in La Moye.’
She warned her: ‘If there is another breach you will be back in court and the court may not give you another opportunity.’
