52-year-old Bath charity donation box thief given suspended sentence

A 52-year-old man who was caught on CCTV stealing a cancer charity donation box from a Bath takeaway has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Gary Hoskins had pleaded guilty to stealing the box containing between £45 and £65 from Bombay Balti in Mount Road, Southdown, on 16th April.

He had also admitted a burglary at the YMCA building on Broad Street in the city centre on 1st May when he entered as a trespasser with intent to steal. He had two long screws with him at the time, suggesting he had gone equipped.

A pre-sentence report had been ordered by magistrates, but Hoskins failed to turn up for his appointment with the Probation Service and his subsequent sentencing date, and a warrant without bail was issued.

He appeared at Bath Magistrates’ Court in custody on Wednesday 8th July.

Prosecutor Marjorie Jackson told the court that Hoskins had 79 previous offences for dishonesty.

The Probation Service told magistrates that Hoskins is not motivated to change. One of his main issues is drugs. He is currently living rough in the Bath area.

Magistrates gave him a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. They said he has “a flagrant disregard for people and their property” and there was a failure to willingly comply with a proposed requirement for a community order.

Hoskins was ordered to pay £60 compensation to The Ben Saunders Foundation, the Bath-based charity which supports teenagers and young adults with cancer across the UK.

He must also pay £85 prosecution costs for each offence and a £154 court surcharge.

Magistrates ordered the deprivation of the screws.