By Isle of Wight ObserverA heroin using dad has been sentenced after admitting assaulting a bus driver and stealing high value clothing to fund his habit.
Simon James Flux, 36, of St Swithins Crescent, Bouldnor admitted assaulting Southern Vectis bus driver Anthony Sharpe in Newport bus station on September 29.
Oscar Vincent, defence counsel to Flux, told the court his client had been attempting to visit his two children aged eleven and seven as he had promised to when he used an Islander Card he had found on the floor to try and get on the bus with.
Flux had put his thumb over a woman’s picture on the card and tried to board the bus when he was stopped by Mr Sharpe who took the card off him – at this point Flux lunged at Mr Sharpe causing reddening and scratches to the driver’s face.
Mr Vincent said of his client’s actions: “His motive being that he didn’t want to let his children down.”
A witness statement from Mr Sharpe was read by the prosecution, claiming the bus driver had to take three weeks off work to get over the incident and still felt affected by it.
Flux admitted that he had suffered a relapse and was using heroin again – a sentiment echoed by his probation case worker who said he stopped engaging with addiction services and had stopped receiving his methadone prescription.
The court also heard that Flux had stolen five jackets belonging to the Henri Lloyd store in Cowes High Street worth £845 on October 30.
A store employee witness statement read out in court claimed “the quickness of the theft has shaken me up”.
The prosecution intended to seek compensation for the jackets which Flux admitted he had sold in exchange for heroin.
However, upon passing sentence, magistrate Ann Evans said it would be not be possible for Flux to pay back any compensation as he would be serving a custodial sentence of 26 weeks in total.
Therefore, Henri Lloyd and Mr Sharpe would not receive any financial compensation for the crimes committed against them.
Flux was not ordered to pay any costs or surcharges as part of his sentence.
He received four weeks for assaulting the bus driver, four weeks for breaching a conditional discharge order that was also for an assault and 26 weeks custody reduced to 18 weeks for a guilty plea for the theft of the jackets.
Mr Vincent told the court his client had accepted that he needed to engage with addiction services was open to liaising with IRIS, mental health teams and whatever the probation service had to offer.
