A PROLIFIC offender from St Albans has been given his “very, very last chance” to change his ways by a judge at St Albans Crown Court.

Joseph Fox, 20, of Frogmore, admitted earlier this month to stealing a pedal cycle from a secure apartment complex in the city and to breaching a suspended sentence, handed to him on July 15 this year.

Fox had been seen to take the bike, from Abbey Mill House, by a member of the public who alerted the police.

He was later seen by police with the bike, which still had the lock attached to the rear wheel.

Fox’s defence said he had been on anti-depressants, following the death of his brother in October last year and had taken too many on the day the theft occurred, but that he “seemed to be turning a corner” with his behaviour.

On Wednesday, Fox was handed a four month sentence, suspended for a period of two years. He was also given a four month curfew, between the hours of 9pm and 6am and ordered to complete an education, training and employment requirement.

Sentencing him, Judge Griffith told Fox: “You are a record breaker; the fastest person ever to come back before me after I’ve made an order.

“I give you a suspended sentence and within three weeks you scale a seven foot fence and steal a bike.

“If I were to say that I despair of that course of action, you’ve got no complaint if I were to lock you up.”

He continued: “It seems to me this was so stupid that I’m going to give you what will be the very, very last chance to show me that you can put an end to this behaviour.

“Any other breach and that will be it.”