Sheriff refuses to give Coatbridge snooker fan a break

Mar 2 2011 Airdrie & Coatbridge

A COATBRIDGE man placed on a curfew tried to get the court to give him a night off – so he could go and play snooker.

Green baize fan Kevin Martin (40) tried to cushion the blow after he was told to serve an 80-day restriction of liberty order.

But Sheriff Frank Pieri told him he must stay indoors at his Dundyvan Road home between the hours of 7pm and 7am, seven days a week.

Martin appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court last Wednesday to be sentenced after he was found in premises above his home “without lawful authority”.

It was considered that it could be “reasonably inferred” that he intended to commit theft when he was found with a screw driver.

Martin had admitted his guilt when he originally appeared from custody but he cut an impressive figure when he appeared back in the dock to be sentenced.

Smartly dressed in a blue shirt and tie, Martin told the court through defence agent Robert Manini that he had mended his ways.

He was training to become a counsellor to help people with their addiction problems and his own life was moving in the right direction.

The lawyer referred to his client’s personal issues when he expressed a reservation about the potential impact of an evening curfew order.

Mr Manini said: “Sometimes when he feels the urge to drink he goes to AA meetings.

“But he would still be willing to co-operate with a restriction of liberty order.”

Sheriff Pieri acknowledged the problems such orders can cause to those serving them.

But Martin had another reason for ruing the curfew.

He instructed his lawyer to ask the Sheriff if he could be partly exempt from the curfew so he could go to play snooker in Clydebank once-a-week.

Mr Manini gave it his best shot but Sheriff called a foul stroke despite the sincere Martin insisting that he “played seriously”.

The Coatbridge cue master was ordered to be tagged as Sheriff Pieri racked up 80 hours of curfew time, reduced from four months to reflect the accused’s early guilty pleas.