A MAGISTRATE read an Isle of Wight man the riot act before sending him to jail, accusing him of "wilfully and persistently" flouting a court order. 

Joshua Van-Praagh, of Howgate Road, Bembridge, admitted three offences of failing to comply with the requirements of a community order, when he appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court recently.

The 12-month probation order was made by Isle of Wight magistrates on March 14.

Convicted of two drug driving offences and driving without insurance, Van Praagh was ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation sessions and 100 hours of unpaid work, and banned from driving for 17 months.

Van Praagh, 29, failed to turn up for a number of appointments, including to do the unpaid work, between March 20 and July 5, without producing any reasonable evidence for the absences, said probation officer, Dawn Young. 

Excuses included anything from testing positive for Covid, to getting his appointment dates mixed up, despite probation offering alternative dates.

"He said he cannot do probation due to his work life. He will not engage in or commit to probation or his unpaid work, and feels having his driving licence taken away was punishment enough," said Mrs Young.

Island magistrates had also issued an arrest warrant on June 11, after he failed to appear in court, but was brought before Portsmouth magistrates on July 3, after the warrant had been executed. 

Van Praagh told the court he had worked in Ireland and was being set up to fail by making him subject to probation.

Probation said that in an appointment which followed, Van Praagh told an officer he had ADHD, undiagnosed, and "ranted" he felt he did not have to do unpaid work because "five other friends of his were only fined for similar offending," Mrs Young added.  

Van Praagh told the bench he was depressed, struggling with his mental health and at his "wits end", and his partner had left him.

When sentencing Van Praagh to 12 weeks' jail, with his order revoked, presiding magistrate, Peter Redding, told him: "This was a wholly wilful and persistent breach. You have purposely gone out of your way to do that.

"You've brought this on yourself. You've had opportunities and failed to take them."