Local man spared prison return for breaching conditions

A man from Newtown who breached the terms of his release from prison has been fined but spared from returning to jail.

Francis Callum Barr, was imprisoned in September 2022 after numerous offences. He was released early in 2023, but failed to comply with the conditions of his release.

He admitted to the charge of breaching his post-custodial supervision requirements, specifically that he did not reside at an approved address between January 20-22 and January 23-25, and that he missed a probation appointment on January 26.

Barr was ordered to live in Llandrindod Wells but did not comply with this instruction.

Probation Officer Julian Davies explained that Barr had to comply with the condition of his residence and could not be away from his approved address for more than one night.

Barr agreed with the probation officer’s account and stated that he had missed one appointment because he was unable to get from Newtown to Llandrindod Wells.

The court fined Barr £50 and ordered him to pay £60 costs.

Magistrates warned him that he had put himself in a precarious situation.

Barr was sent to prison last year when a suspended sentence order was activated after he failed to attend a probation appointment in July and an unpaid work appointment in August.

He had previously been given a suspended sentence for stealing a bicycle and was subject to a community order for stealing from an elderly woman.