Burglar who stole cannabis plants from Stockton home given another chance to make good

A burglar who stole cannabis plants from a Teesside home was told by a judge: “We’re not playing here.”

Alex Metcalfe, 22, tried the courts’ patience but was given another chance to make good.

He and another man pulled up to a house on Kelloe Close, Hardwick, Stockton and smashed their way in via a bathroom window.

They helped themselves to three cannabis plants growing in the home on July 13 last year, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The plants’ grower made a complaint to police and Metcalfe was arrested as his blood was found at the scene.

“It is quite strange,” said prosecutor Nigel Soppitt, describing the case.

Metcalfe was given a community order with a year’s supervision and 80 hours’ unpaid work for the burglary.

He was back in court today for breaching the order by failing to do the work.

He had been given a sick note as he suffered from depression and anxiety, and had 52 hours’ work left to do.

Mr Soppitt said the Probation Service was not happy with Metcalfe’s commitment to the order and his “lack of openness”.

Jim Withyman, defending, said Metcalfe grappled with his difficulties and did four days of his community work while he was ill.

Now he had an offer of a cabling job in Oxford, starting this week, then moving on to Portsmouth.

Judge John Walford said anxiety and depression were “just feeble” as a justification for the sick note.

He said: “He’s got to realise if a court makes an order to do unpaid work, you do it. If not, you’re likely to go to prison.

“I imagine he’ll be more anxious and depressed if he goes to prison.”

He asked Metcalfe why he had not done the work. Metcalfe replied: “I was on the sick.

“It’s not me saying ‘you can’t’, it’s the doctor.

“I’m willing to do the unpaid work by all means. The doctor says I’m not allowed.”

The judge gave him an extra 20 hours of unpaid work, to be done when he travels to Teesside on weekends.

He told Metcalfe, of Barton Avenue, Hartlepool: “If you don’t do it then you are putting yourself at risk of going to prison, again.

“We’re not playing here. This is a court order. It’s a sentence because you’ve committed a crime. You understand that, do you?

“If you don’t complete the total number of hours, I warn you, the only alternative the court will have will be prison.”