Chesterfield man 'causes thousands of pounds worth of damage' to five police vehicles

A Chesterfield man who was serving a suspended prison sentence after he caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to five police vehicles has been spared prison for missing appointments with the probation service.
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Blade Watts, aged 18, of St John’s Road, Newbold, admitted criminal damage to the vehicles at a hearing in May, and was ordered to pay more than £5,000 in compensation.

He was also given a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12-months, and a community rehabilitation activity.

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But after he was evicted from the hostel he was living in for not paying his rent, he disappeared from the Probation Service’s radar.

Chesterfield Magistrates' Court, where Blade Watts appearedChesterfield Magistrates' Court, where Blade Watts appeared
Chesterfield Magistrates' Court, where Blade Watts appeared

Mitigating, Denney Lau, told Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court on Monday, December 2, that Watts suffered from a rare chromisone disorder which prevented him from quickly processing information.

He said: “This is why he finds himself in this situation. He had attended appointments with the probation service, but he got himself evicted because he didn’t understand that he had to pay his rent in cash. He thought that it could be transferred from his bank account.”

Watts - formerly of Clay Cross - ended up living on the streets, but was eventually given temporary accommodation at the home of his girlfriend’s mother.

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They then persuaded him to hand himself in to police, where he was arrested and produced before the court.

Magistrates handed him an additional six-months to the term of Watts’ suspended sentence but made no further penalties.