Wick man jailed after failing to complete work order

A Wick man who failed to heed a sheriff’s prison warning about his lack of commitment to his unpaid work was jailed for five months at the town’s sheriff court on Monday.

Darren Coghill (30) was said to have completed only110 hours out of 240 hours imposed in January 2023, a timescale described as “entirely unacceptable” by Sheriff Neil Wilson.

The work order was imposed after the accused admitted having driven while disqualified. He was also fined £500.

Coghill was caught by police between Lochshell and Castletown, on June 26, 2021. He had been banned from driving six months earlier and was living in Loch Street, Wick at the time but had since relocated to Ladywell, Livingston.

Sheriff Neil Wilson said that it had been made clear to the accused, who has a record of offending, that if he continued missing his unpaid work appointments “matters would be concluded”.

Describing Coghill’s conduct as “entirely unacceptable,” the sheriff went on: “You were given a clear warning about what would happen if you didn’t comply with the unpaid work.”

Sheriff Wilson revoked the order and substituted the prison term.