Chorley card fraud is given chance by courts after harrowing background shared by family

A credit card fraud has avoided an immediate jail term after a judge heard his family had found him begging on the streets and taken him home to help him.
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Preston Crown Court heard Jason Cassidy, 44, formerly of Hollinshead Street, Chorley, had 'made good progress' in the time since he tried to use a stolen credit card to pay for goods at shops.

His mother and brother attended court and spoke about the dad's battle to rid himself of his drug addiction before Judge Philip Parry passed sentence.

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Prosecuting, Charlie Brown said the cards were stolen during a burglary at a family home in Chorley, in which nearly £4,000 of goods were taken, and Cassidy and another man were identified using the cards at H and N Food at 6.43am to buy goods.

Preston Crown CourtPreston Crown Court
Preston Crown Court

Later he made three attempts to buy more items from a petrol station but the card was declined

Cassidy, who has 18 convictions for 51 offences, admits handling stolen goods and two counts of fraud.

Imposing an 18 month community order with a rehabilitation activity requirement, Judge Philip Parry said he didn't want to interrupt the good progress he was making.

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He added: "Offences of this kind committed so close in time to a burglary almost always result in immediate terms of imprisonment and I've thought long and hard, particularly when I saw your previous convictions - which are not very impressive frankly.

"But I have read your pre sentence report and I'm going to borrow a phrase from this report - you seem to have turned a corner and I really hope that you have.

" I know you've struggled for years to rid yourself of what's often referred to as a vice like grip from class A drugs.

"I saw you drop your head in embarrassment and shame when your brother told me for the first time ever your children know their dad is in court today and could be going to prison. That must be desperately upsetting for them.

"Now is the time to strike and see this through."

"This is it, this is the chance I'm going to give you to turn your back on criminal offending."

Accomplice Steven Wilkes, 39, previously got six months in jail.