A man with a lengthy criminal record who breached conditions of his house arrest twice within a week is being given a break by the provincial court.
Brendon Adams, 34, is currently serving a 15-month conditional sentence handed to him at provincial court in Wabush last September.
On Feb. 2, he faced having to serve the rest of that sentence behind bars after he breached conditions that included abstaining from alcohol and remaining within his residence unless he had special permission to leave it.
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In relation to the disturbance that led to his arrest, Adams was also charged with assaulting a woman and with mischief to property.
On Feb. 5, Judge Catherine Allen-Westby decided not to place Adams in jail for the rest of the sentence currently being served because it would result in him losing his spot in a post-secondary course he was studying in Corner Brook and the funding he has secured to pay for the schooling.
This past Friday night, three days after Allen-Westby’s decision, Adams was located by police drinking in a bar in Corner Brook and taken back into custody.
During a court appearance Wednesday, Crown attorney Adam Sparkes asked Judge Kymil Howe to give Adams 60 days of straight jail time for the latest breach.
Again, Adams urged the court for leniency, citing the fact he would lose his status in the welding course he was doing at the College of the North Atlantic if he was absent for a prolonged period of time. He said he would have to repay the government support he has received for tuition, books and other costs associated with enrolment in the program.
Adams, who told the court he has recently been experiencing major turmoil in his personal life and would seek counseling for his mental health and addiction issues, said he could not afford to pay for the welding course on his own.
After a brief deliberation on what to do with him, Howe decided to release Adams to serve the remainder of his conditional sentence and attend school. She did not impose any additional time for breaching the house arrest conditions other than the seven days he spent in custody since his last week.
Adams still has around 290 days left to serve on his conditional sentence.
He still has matters outstanding before the courts. Adams is scheduled to appear on charges of assault and mischief related to property Feb. 26.
