A sherriff showed goodwill to a mom with one of Scotland’s worst criminal records yesterday by freeing her to enjoy 12 days of Christmas. Sheriff Lindsay Foulis granted Joanne Mayor bail and deferred sentence for 12 days despite her list of convictions detailing more than 180 offences in just 13 years.
He told her she could avoid being sent to jail if she managed to keep out of trouble for that short period. The Perth sheriff said her pre-Christmas challenge to behave would be “a skoosh” for a normal person but might be hard for her. Drug addict Mayor, recently released early from a 22-month sentence, was placed on a 7pm–6am curfew for the 12 days.
Sheriff Foulis said: “This is a lady who is not stupid. She is more familiar with the criminal justice system than almost everyone in Scotland. “Your record is horrendous. It is littered with breaches of bail and offending whilst on bail. You are throwing your life away.”
Mayor admitted stealing a bottle of whisky from Abbis Restaurant in Crieff on November 23 and breaking her curfew on Wednesday night. The court heard Mayor was wearing pajamas and slippers when arrested around midnight in the snow. Alistair McLeod, defending, said her clothing gave credence to her story that she had been ushering her drunken boyfriend away from the house.
It was while returning to the house she was arrested for breaking the curfew. The sheriff said he was “suspicious” about her version, but noted what she was wearing. Mayor was jailed in February after she stripped off and led transport police on a topless chase down the main Aberdeen to Glasgow railway line.
On that occasion, Sheriff Foulis said: “She continues to offend as soon as she is released. The options available to the court are well and truly exhausted and the only disposal is one of custody.” Mayor previously provoked a public outcry when she was repeatedly granted bail despite her lengthy criminal record which has been called “extraordinary, long and deplorable.”
While this really isn’t funny, I had to laugh at the absurdity of the sheer number of criminal offences this woman is managed to rack up in a little over a decade. I know for myself, I would be worried about getting just one conviction let along 180. I guess some people feel it’s their destiny to lead a life of crime comparable to none other.
