Father who skipped community service to appear on Jeremy Kyle Show jailed

Alister Lamb: Jailed for missing community service to go on TV.

A man who went on the Jeremy Kyle Show instead of doing his community service has been jailed for six months.

Alister Lamb was convicted last year of stealing a string of items including a toilet seat from a flat in Dundee.

Sheriff Tom Hughes imposed 200 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order instead of sending Lamb to jail in November last year.

But Lamb, who has previous convictions for cannabis possession and assault to injury, completed only one hour of work between that date and April 10 this year.

When asked why he failed to do the work, Lamb told them he had missed appointments because he had been filming an episode of the Jeremy Kyle Show. He had gone on the show to get access to his daughter from a previous relationship.

His lawyer told Dundee Sheriff Court on Thursday: "It wasn't as if he went on with stars in his eyes, simply snubbing the court - he felt it was an appropriate way to deal with matters."

But Sheriff Hughes said: "This was not a licence for you to ignore the order and go off on your own daft frolics like appearing on television shows rather than doing the work asked of you."

Lamb, 23, of Baldovie Terrace, Dundee, previously admitted a charge of theft by housebreaking.

He and another man broke into a flat in Dundee, between February 11 and 12 last year. They stole a television, an xBox console and accessories, ornaments and a train set. Bizarrely, the pair also stole a toilet seat in the raid.

Lamb failed to turn up in court last Thursday for sentencing with a warrant being issued for his arrest.

Speaking last week, Lamb said he had been transported to and from the filming of the show in Manchester by taxi and had been put up in a hotel by producers.

He said: "I wasn't that good, I was really nervous. It was a good experience though. I watch the Jeremy Kyle show on the telly, so I thought I'd phone them. I was trying to get access through the lawyers, but I thought I'd try this instead."

A spokeswoman for the Jeremy Kyle Show said the episode Lamb was involved in has not yet been aired.

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