YORK'S district judge has attacked the "pay for results" approach used in overseeing community punishments for offenders.

District judge Adrian Lower was speaking as he sentenced Carl Tudor who has continued to shoplift despite being given community order after community order, run by private companies called community rehabilitation companies (CRC).

When the 49-year-old appeared for sentence at York Magistrates Court, he was on three orders simultaneously and subject to a conditional discharge, all imposed for shop thefts.

The district judge heard he was doing well on the orders because he was turning up for appointments with his supervisor.

"It beggars belief," said the district judge. "How can someone be subject to three community orders?

"The reason he is not in breach is that the CRC has taken the view that the order runs its course. There is a financial incentive to let it run its course, which is frankly ridiculous.

"Anyone can turn up for appointments, that's not the point. It is what they do after the appointments that matters.

"If Carl Tudor is simply turning up for appointments, talking the talk but not walking the walk, that serves no purpose."

He revoked all the community orders and conditional discharge and resentenced Tudor for seven thefts and a failure to surrender, plus two more thefts committed after he received the third community order. He gave him a 18-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months on condition he does 30 days' rehabilitative activities and ordered him to pay a £115 statutory surcharge.

If someone offends while on a suspended prison sentence, they can be made to serve the sentence.

Tudor, who gave his address as the Arc Light Centre, York, pleaded guilty to stealing cider worth £2.20 from a city centre Tesco Express on May 23 and protein powder worth £19 from Holland and Barrett in Coney Street, York, on June 3.

For him, Craig Robertson said although he could drink too much, he was now not drinking to excess. The protein powder had been for himself.