BEGGAR and thief Jeffrey Ward is in prison again. It is highly unlikely to be his last custodial sentence.

Ward may not realise it, but he is a legal pioneer. In March he was sentenced to York's first anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) for begging.

Forty-eight hours later he became the first person in the city to be jailed for breaching an ASBO.

These sentences reflected a welcome crackdown by the police and the courts on nuisance begging.

On the streets of York, Ward was aggressive and intimidating. One regular victim tried to befriend him, to no avail; Ward threatened to smash her windows.

In the light of his offending, we interviewed other beggars in April. They claimed they would turn to robbery to fund their drugs habits if stopped from begging.

In other words, if you prevent me from committing one offence, I will commit a more serious one. This stance subverts the law and borders on blackmail. So it was disappointing to hear a similar argument being used in mitigation by Ward's solicitor Craig Sutcliffe at court yesterday.

But Mr Sutcliffe is right to suggest that criminal law alone is a blunt instrument to use on Ward. It protects the public while he is behind bars, but cannot provide a longer term solution.

Jeffrey Ward is a heroin addict and a schizophrenic. He needs help for his own sake and to prevent him reoffending.

Many agencies provide such support, but Mr Sutcliffe has said "there has been very little by way of intervention or alternatives for Mr Ward".

Now his only chance of avoiding a long prison sentence is to be offered - and to accept - treatment for his drug addiction and his mental illness.

Updated: 10:02 Tuesday, June 29, 2004