A York man has been jailed after electing a Crown Court trial for possession of cannabis and then failing to surrender to custody.
Paul Regan Mayne, 59, of no fixed abode, was arrested for possession of cannabis after an incident on 1st April 2022, when he was so intoxicated that a taxi driver refused to take him as a fare.
Mayne became argumentative with the driver and refused to leave the taxi, so the driver called the police for assistance.
A search of Mayne resulted in the seizure of a small amount of cannabis, which was consistant with personal use.
Mayne was charged with possession of cannabis and appeared at the city's Magistrates' Court where he denied the offence and elected a jury trial at the Crown Court.
Of course anyone charged with an either-way offence has the right to elect a Crown Court trial, but the pragmatic approach with such a straightforward offence is to have the matter resolved at the Magistrates' Court.
In cases like this there are usually no complicated matters of law, the probable sentence is well within the powers of the Magistrates' Court and summary disposal is far quicker and economical.
The bench granted Mayne unconditional bail until his Crown Court appearance, but he failed to surrender as instructed. The Judge took a view on the matter and a warrant was granted for Mayne's arrest.
Mayne was picked up by West Midlands Police and appeared at York Crown Court via videolink.
Having reflected on matters, he decided to plead guilty to possession of cannabis.
He was sentenced to 28 days' custody, which was no doubt considered in the round with his failure to surrender.
Had the matter been dealt with by the Magistrates' Court he would have probably received a conditional discharge or modest fine.
Mayne will hopefully think twice before wasting the court's time and resources in future.
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