IT seems I read every day in The Northern Echo of cases in which defendants repeatedly warrant a suspended sentence or a last chance after excuses are made for them as soon as they come to court.

If you were a pensioner and failed to pay your council tax you would stand more chance of going to prison than a burglar who has robbed a dozen houses.

The name of Durham Crown Court should be changed to the Last Chance Saloon.

Peter Jefferies, Durham City