A man narrowly avoided jail — then nearly talked a judge into changing his sentence to immediate imprisonment. David Jones from Llanelli had tried to interrupt the judge as he was being sentenced at Swansea Crown Court for carrying an offensive weapon and driving offences.
Judge Christopher Vosper KC told the 31-year-old to wait until he had finished his sentencing remarks. He said he had taken into account Jones' efforts to address heroin addiction and was "just" persuaded not to impose immediate custody. The judge suspended a 12-week jail term for one year, before asking if Jones still had something to say.
Jones then said: "I haven't got a heroin addiction." The judge replied that the probation service's report mentioned he was being treated with an opioid replacement, whether he considered himself addicted to heroin or not. But Jones persisted, telling the judge that he was on a heroin substitute to treat pain from an injury rather than because of an addiction.
