Vagrant ‘menace’ jailed

Press, 23 April 1980, Page 4

Vagrant ‘menace’ jailed

An alcoholic vagrant, wh 0 was described as a menace, was jailed for 18 months by Mr Justice Roper in the High Court yesterday. The vagrant, George rick Shannon, aged 42, but who looks much older, was appearing for sentence on a charge of indecent assault on a boy, aged 13, at Sockburn on November 12, 1979.

He was found guilty on the charge by a jury last week.

Evidence was given that the boy was home alone weeding the driveway in the early evening when he was approached by Shannon who was unshaven, wearing, an ankle-length overcoat and old gumboots. Shannon offered to help the boy and then indecently assaulted him. The boy locked himself in the house until j his family returned. ’ Shannon was found asleep; with a bottle of j sherry beside him in the long grass of a vacant industrial section not far I from the boy’s home. Mr N. P. 'Chapman, for Shannon, said it was clear that the prisoner was more of a social nuisance than a criminal. He was an alcoholic and had committed the offence after drinking all day, though he still maintained 1 that-he had not indecently assaulted the boy. Shannon was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver an that had brought home to him the seriousness of his drinking problem. Because of his rather frightening appearance and his mode of living Shannon was shunned by the community and he was a rather pathetic and lonely person, Mr Chapman! said. “You really are a menace, Shannon.” said his Honour, “although much of your past offending has been more anti-social than truly criminal, but the time has come when the public is entitled to protection from your al-cc’iol-induced conduct.” It seemed from the probation report that prison was hardly the place for Shannon but all other institutions, including hospitals, had given up on him.

As counsel had said Shannon* had an appalling record. It included a conviction for assault on a child and there was a degree of obscenity in some of his other offending but this was probably the n. t serious offending since the charge of robbery in 1967.

“You accept realistically that there is no alternative to imprisonment,” said his Honour.