Vandal tells court he will strike again

A 32-year-old man who smashed a charity shop window in Cannock told magistrates that he would do it again if they did not send him to prison.

Shaun Alan Degg, of no fixed address, caused £1,000 worth of damage when he threw a rock at St Giles' Hospice shop window, on Wolverhampton Road. He pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Cannock Magistrates' Court yesterday. Degg, who was defending himself, said: "I'll smash another window if I'm let out. I want to go back in again."

Magistrates sentenced him to 21 days for the offence but as he committed the offence while on licence with the probation service he will remain in jail until June 24.

The court heard that around 3pm on May 8 Degg spoke to a Cannock police officer while she was on duty in the town centre.

Emma Thompson, prosecuting, said: "The officer asked him how he was doing and he replied that 'it was a 'good day to smash in a window'."

At around 8pm that day he came into Cannock Police Station and said he had smashed the shop front, plate-glass window of the St Giles Hospice shop.

She said: "When the officer went to the shop there was clearly a large amount of damage to the plate-glass window.

"There were a number of holes the size of tennis balls as though something had been thrown at speed through window.

"He said he was homeless and to go back to prison would be better than living in the streets."

His probation officer, Paul Davies told magistrates Degg had two ongoing problems with finance having been overpaid with benefits and finding accommodation.

He had booked him an appointment to go to YMCA hostel in Stoke-on-Trent but Degg decided he did not want to leave Cannock.

He said: "He said to me that if released into the community he will reoffend. From past experience I have no doubt he will do that and it is difficult to impose any form of community order."

Chairman of the bench, Howard Stemp said Degg was in a cycle of committing offences that would need to be broken at some stage and in the light of a large number of previous similar offences they had no choice but to send him to prison.