A TEENAGER has been jailed for 18 days for breaching a suspended sentence.

Ben Reid, 19, who was previously of Tippett Close, Colchester, but told Colchester magistrates he had just moved in with his mother in Greenstead and did not know her address, was sent to prison after he admitted failing to attend his probation appointments.

Colchester Magistrates’ Court heard that Reid was sentenced to 28 days in prison, suspended for 18 months, last May and ordered to attend an offenders’ skills programme and an alcohol treatment programme.

Kathleen Espasito, prosecuting, said his attendance had been erratic and that he had missed appointments on October 16 and November 3, had only attended one of three counselling sessions and had failed to attend an offenders programme.

She said: “His failure to engage with all aspects of the order has made it difficult to deliver the sentence to him.”

Raphael Pigott, mitigating, said Reid had recently taken a job installing sheds and was out of the house 12 hours a day.

“He got this job with longer hours, which is physically demanding, and as a result he wasn’t picking up communications with probation,” he said.

Reid was sentenced to 18 days in prison.

Chairman of the bench Brenda Pearce said: “This is your second breach – we have no faith in you complying with the order.”