Tuesday 5 November 2024
 9.6°C   SSW Light Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

News / Drink-related behaviour leads to jail term for serial offender

A SERIAL offender who ran into the face of an oncoming vehicle, violently struggled with police and made nearly 30 nuisance 999 calls has been sent to jail for 20 months.

Sheriff Philip Mann told Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday that Nathan Hilditch should be able to have a scheduled psychological assessment if he is released early from custody as a result of good behaviour.

The 22 year old, of Ulsta, Yell, previously admitted a number of charges, including culpably and recklessly running onto the road at Lerwick’s  Ladies Drive on 21 March, causing the vehicle’s driver to take evasive action, before violently struggling with police officers.

Hilditch also previously pleaded guilty to calling 999 from Ulsta on 23 April on 28 occasions when he had no need of police assistance, with the offence committed while on bail.

He also admitted attending an Ulsta home occupied by individuals he did not know in the early hours of the morning and repeatedly ringing their doorbell, as well as breaching a bail condition stipulating that he should not be in public with alcohol in his system.

Defence agent Tommy Allan suggested that when his client, who appeared from custody, has been drinking he acts in this way to bring attention to himself.

He said he has tried to tell Hilditch that he has a “choice” before taking to drink.

Referring to the offences committed in Yell, the solicitor said Hilditch had “misinterpreted” bail conditions which barred him from having alcohol in his system in a public place and had drinks in his home before things “clearly went out of control”.

Allan added that his client accessing mental health support has “not managed to get off the ground” yet due to his alcohol consumption and subsequent court appearances.

“The question for everyone is how can we get Mr Hilditch to break that cycle,” he said.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

The solicitor suggested that when intoxicated the only way Hilditch can “express himself” is through nuisance calls and jumping in front of cars.

“There seems to be some problem that locking up him doesn’t seem to deal with,” Allan said.

He suggested to Sheriff Mann one option could be to remand his client in custody while he awaited a psychological evaluation, which could take a number of months to come to fruition.

Sheriff Mann said he believed the “whole problem is drinking – when you are drinking, you offend.”

He said he had “no confidence” that Hilditch would not re-offend if liberated.

“It’s behaviour that simply can’t be tolerated. I don’t understand it, you don’t understand it, but I do understand the public deserve to be protected from somebody like you,” the sheriff continued.

He said the “net result” of being sent to prison could echo Allan’s suggested outcome, as if Hilditch is released early after ten months then he will be able to have his psychological assessment.

Hilditch’s jail term was backdated to when he first entered custody on 24 April.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Categories
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.