A WOMAN from Llanrwst who was jailed after breaching her criminal behaviour order (CBO) was granted an appeal to have her sentence shortened.

Isabella Roberts, 18, of Station Road, had been sentenced to 38 weeks in custody last month for the CBO breach and for two counts of breaching a suspended sentence.

At Caernarfon Crown Court today (February 17), her sentence was reduced to 30 weeks’ imprisonment.

Prosecuting, Laura Knightly told the court that Roberts’ CBO was put in place last November after she made persistent calls (totalling roughly 150) to emergency services.

Roberts had also been prohibited from entering railway stations.

She was released from custody on January 13, but was subsequently arrested and charged four times within the next week.

On January 21 at about 6.45pm, she attended Rhyl railway station, and was described as “intoxicated” and “causing issues”, before leaving the premises, saying she was “going to the pub for a drink”.

But she returned to the station within the next hour; Knightly said she was “pestering staff” and that there were “concerns for her welfare”, and that she was under the influence of alcohol.

When British Transport Police attended, she was found leaning against the staff window on her crutches, and said she would “rather go to prison” as there is “routine there; there’s nothing on the outside”.

Knightly said that Roberts’ actions “necessitate a response”, be it from the emergency services or railway station staff.

She referred to Roberts’ previous incidents involving self-harm, and injury to her legs sustained at a railway station which, Knightly said, left her “lucky to be alive”.

Defending, Sarah Yates said Roberts, who appeared via videolink from HMP Styal, had had a psychiatric assessment in a custodial setting, and that trauma therapy was being arranged for her.

Yates conceded that Roberts had committed a “deliberate breach”, but argued that there was no evidence of aggressive, violent, or threatening behaviour at the railway station.

She said: “Her behaviour doesn’t demonstrate anything other than pestering.

“This is a vulnerable young lady. Just because someone becomes 18 doesn’t mean they automatically become an adult in a mental capacity."

Judge Timothy Petts agreed to deduct eight weeks from Roberts’ initial custodial sentence, which he accepted was “probably a little too long”.

Roberts will be released on licence after serving half of her 30-week sentence.

Judge Petts told her: “I’m glad to hear you are taking some steps in co-operating with things in prison.

“(But) you don’t want to be spending the rest of your life going in and out of prison. It’s not good for you.

“Getting drunk and breaching the order is going to have consequences.

“You are clocking up a lot of prosecutions and convictions, which is not good for you.”