A veteran judge had a tough time maintaining his composure when he found out a young man who has almost 40 criminal convictions works as a teller at an instant loan outlet.
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Justice Guy Mahaffy asked if Casey OatmanÂ?s employer knows about his criminal record.
Defence council said he does and is willing to rehire Oatman when he gets out of jail.
Oatman, 23, pleaded guilty Wednesday to being in possession of a stolen van and tools used to break into vehicles. He also pleaded guilty to mischief for lying to police after Greater Sudbury Police stopped him in a stolen van Feb. 29.
Court heard Oatman gave police his real name and address only after they arrested him and brought him to police headquarters.
After perusing his long criminal record, the judge said he didnÂ?t believe the 90-day sentence proposed by defence lawyer Denis Michel and assistant Crown attorney Guy Roy was proper.
However, he had no choice but to accept it after another judge gave his stamp of approval during two pre-trial conferences.
Â?This young man is obviously a professional criminal,Â? said Mahaffy, who almost burst into laughter when he was told Oatman worked for an instant loan business.
Court heard Oatman now has 14 convictions for property crimes and another 10 for breach of court orders.
In total, he has now accumulated 39 convictions despite his young age and has been sentenced to 21 separate short stints in a provincial correctional facility.
During the entire court proceedings Wednesday, Oatman continually looked over at his girlfriend. She was seated in the body of the courtroom, and they shared smiles and attempted to communicate with each other without words.
Oatman has remained in custody for the last month since his arrest and was given the standard two-daysÂ? credit for every day heÂ?s spent in pre-trial custody.
When the additional 90-day sentence is considered, his total sentence is in the range of five months. Mahaffy told the court numerous times he believed the sentence to be very low considering OatmanÂ?s record.
Mahaffy refused to order any further period of probation, noting OatmanÂ?s record clearly indicates he wonÂ?t follow any probation order and insisting
on one would only invite an invitation for him to breach.
