Canterbury Crown Court, where Nelson was sentenced

by Paul Hooper

An arrogant Ashford man talked himself into a prison sentence – because he wouldn’t listen to advice.

Surly Michael Nelson, 21, stormed out of a meeting with a probation officer, who was exploring an alternative to him going inside.

But the belligerent Nelson – who had admitted witness intimidation – said he wouldn’t talk about his victim.

Then he said he wouldn’t do work for the community... unless he was paid.

And even when a judge asked him to stand up for his sentence..he sneered: “Do I have to?”

Nelson was then jailed for six months and slunk out of the door to the cells – after telling the judge: “Just get on with it!”

Judge Heather Norton retorted: “This is entirely the kind of attitude noted by two probation officers and has resulted in the situation you now find yourself in.”

Canterbury Crown Court heard how in May last year Nelson had gone to the home of a witness in a court case which he wasn’t even involved in.

While the woman and her children crouch in fear inside their home, Nelson – who ironically lives in Bulleid Place – screamed “grass” at her until he was arrested by police.

Cannabis-smoking Nelson tried to excuse his behaviour – blaming it on ADHD and an inability to concentrate.

But Judge Norton (pictured right) said he had made threats and had shouted at the witness and her partner, leaving them “upset, distressed and frightened”.

“You were calling her a ‘grass’ – those actions amounted to witness intimidation and that’s a serious offence.”

Before sentence, Nelson was invited to co-operate with a probation officer in the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

The judge said: “That did not make very good reading. That report concluded that you felt that you did not need to make any changes to your behaviour.

“There was a possibility discussed of you receiving help with drug rehabilitation but you weren’t even prepared to wait to speak to anyone and you walked out of the building.”

But after a letter was sent to the judge from Nelson’s mother a second probation and a new psychiatric report was ordered.

The psychiatrist diagnosed Nelson with ADHD and concluded he suffers from an hallucinatory psychotic disorder “due to his drugs misuse”.

But the court heard that at his second interview with probation he once again became “angry, shouting and swearing”.

Judge Norton added: “That’s the difficulty, people try to help you and rehabilitate you, but none of it will work until you are motivated. And it is utterly pointless anyone putting forward a sentence that you would not comply with!

“So reluctantly I am left with no alternative but to send you to prison.”