Tewkesbury man jailed (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Tewkesbury man jailed

7:16am Monday 11th February 2008 in News

TIME finally ran out on Friday for Tewkesbury thief Simon Horneberger, as he was sent to prison for three months for breaching a community order.

Judge Martin Picton said he had not wanted to send Horneberger to prison, but as the 26 year old was back on drugs the order was not workable.

Horneberger, a former double glazing salesman, was given the community punishment in September last year after he stole £1,200 from a customer.

The court heard how wiry Horneberger, of Cromer's Close, Tewkesbury, received 18 months community order with 18 months supervison and six months drug rehabilitation requiremen and 100 hours unpaid work.

The sentence was amended on October 31 with an extra two months Drug Rehab.

He breached the order by failing to undergo drug tests on January 2 and 4 this year and to meet a supervision appointment at January 10.

On Friday, prosecutor Nick Fridd said the original offence in January last year, for which the court was now considering re-sentencing, occurred when Horneberger was working selling windows and offered a customer discounted frames.

Windows which should have cost £3,000, he sold for £1,280, said the prosecutor, but he pocketed the money himself.

When caught, he said the money was to pay off drug debts, the court heard.

In 2004, he added, Horneberger had been sentenced to two years three months for a not dis-similar offence - theft from an elderly person.

Joe Maloney, defending, called his mother Maxine Hornebereger to the witness box who said things had come to a head before Christmas and Simon was asked to leave home.

She said he came back in January, determined to kick his drug habit, and she believed him.

Mr Maloney said he had not re-offended.

Judge Picton, who gave him the order originally, said: "I didn't want to do this. I tried to give you a chance. It's not worked. You have succumbed to drugs again. I know you feel bad about it. But community orders mean something."

Including reflecting his guilty plea, he sentenced him to three months in prison.