Taxi Driver Online

Teesside limo driver told probation officer he would rather go to jail than finish community service

A LIMOUSINE driver who said he would rather go to jail than carry out a court's community penalty has not had his wish granted - after a sudden change of heart.

Peter Trainor told probation service officials that he had no desire to continue with a programme of doing unpaid work for the community imposed for fraud.

A court heard that he had completed all but 41 hours of the 200-hour order when he downed tools and said he would rather serve his punishment behind bars.

Trainor was hauled before a judge today but his barrister, Jonathan Walker, argued: "His position is not that now. He is willing to carry on with the order."

The 23-year-old, of Wordsworth Road, Teesville, Middlesbrough, was given the unpaid work and supervision in May last year for offences of theft and fraud.

He was today brought back before Judge Peter Fox, QC, at Teesside Crown Court, and was told: "I was going to send you down because of what you told the probation officer.

Judge Fox, instead, doubled Trainor's unpaid work to 82 hours and gave him until next May to carry it out after he admitted a charge of breaching the order.

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