A 20-YEAR-OLD man with “a long list of offences and breaches” is to be locked up for 21 weeks after a court heard that non-custodial alternatives did not work.
Appearing in the Magistrate’s Court via video link, Sean Brandon de la Haye admitted to being disorderly in a pub, violently resisting arrest, failing to report a road accident and riding his motorbike without a licence or insurance.
Assistant Magistrate Adam Clarke concluded that a period in youth detention was the only option.
St Helier Centenier Danny Scaife, prosecuting, said that the first incident took place on the night of 14 December in Tivoli Tavern, where a fight broke out among a group of men inside the pub and spilled into the car park outside. De la Haye was identified as one of those involved.
In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the police encountered de la Haye in the town centre and wanted to search him.
“He violently resisted and made threats of physical harm,” the Centenier said.
On 10 February, de la Haye refused to obey the orders of a police officer to leave Cattle Street, and, on 27 March, de la Haye’s motorbike was found abandoned in the Jardin Des Carreaux estate, with both wing mirrors missing and no window insurance disc.
He had hit a car, breaking its own wing mirror, but had ridden off without stopping to report the accident.
Advocate Mark Boothman, defending, accepted that de la Haye was likely to be facing custody but said that he had sent “a very heartfelt letter of remorse” and told the court: “His letter of remorse shows a real U-turn.”
He added that de la Haye suffered from ADHD and said: “It’s a combination of ADHD and alcohol that causes him to commit these offences.”
The Assistant Magistrate told de la Haye that he was taking his early guilty pleas into account, but said he had shown “an unwillingness or inability to respond to non-custodial sentences”.
He added: “You have a long list of offences and breaches. For a man who is not yet 21, you have an unenviable record already.”
Mr Clarke also banned de la Haye from driving and from entering licensed premises for a year.
He imposed a fine of £600 for driving without a licence or insurance, to be paid after his release.
