A criminal sent on a taxpayer-funded concert trip to tackle his offending has been jailed for the 26th time since council chiefs declared the jaunt a “success”.
Del Banks, whose criminal career has cost the public purse around £500,000, was sent back to prison for nine weeks at Perth Sheriff Court yesterday.
The violent drug addict was jailed for leading the police on a late-night chase after setting out with a friend to carry out a housebreaking.
Banks, 30, of Speygate, and James Stuart, 33, of Black Watch Close, both Perth, admitted being found in the city’s Hay Street on October 23 in circumstances that implied they were about to commit theft.
As he was sentenced to his 26th period behind bars in little over a decade, Banks said: “Happy days.”
Solicitor Billy Somerville, defending, said: “Mr Banks has, over a period, had a difficulty with drugs which has resulted in his committing offences.
“He had taken Valium and his recollection is virtually non-existent.”
Fiscal depute Catriona MacQueen told the court: “At 5am the police were contacted by members of the public who had spotted two males acting suspiciously outside their property.
“Police observed both accused in the driveway. On seeing the police both made off.
“There was a chase and police ultimately traced Stuart in a garden nearby. Banks was traced in the street.”
Stuart also admitted stealing alcohol from Morrisons on October 18 and breaching a curfew on May 26 this year. He had sentence deferred for reports.
Banks was jailed twice last year as Sheriff Gillian Wade called his record “truly appalling” and berated social workers for continuing to show him a soft-touch approach.
Sheriff Wade said social workers had failed to take into account the serious nature of the assault Banks committed within weeks of being released from a previous prison term.
Perth and Kinross Council previously claimed the trip to see the Black Eyed Peas concert in Manchester had been a success in tackling his behaviour.
It has been estimated that police, court, social work and prison costs of dealing with Banks have cost the public purse around £500,000.
