A Fort William man who broke a court order by leaving the area and moving to Essex for a “fresh start” was jailed for two months yesterday.
Derek McLean was arrested in Southend on Sea for breaching a supervised attendance order which was issued in May last year.
Fort William Sheriff Court heard that the 53 year-old, who appeared from custody, admitted the charge at an earlier hearing.
His solicitor, Stephen Kennedy, said that McLean had been released from a three year custodial sentence last May after carrying out an assault with a metal pole.
“The supervised attendance order was issued, but he received no guidance or support on his release and ended up on the streets.
“I contacted the social worker and he was given homeless accommodation in Fort William. But, as there were various problems with this, he decided the best thing to do was get a fresh start away from the town and move to Southend on Sea where had lived previously.”
Mr Kennedy said that McLean survived by begging when he first moved to the south coast town on December 23, but he now has accommodation in a homeless unit and a charity is trying to find him a permanent home and is helping him to find employment.
“But he has no money in his pocket and has no idea how he will be able to return,” he added.
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald told McLean: “You have failed to comply with the order which is a serious offence. I am sending you to prison for two months and you will serve all of that period in jail.”