The man told the court he would instead prefer to go to jail. 

Jason Crawford was asked the question after reappearing in the Ballarat Magistrates Court on a breach of a previous CCO and a number of other charges including theft from a shop and unlicensed driving.

Pleading guilty to the charges, the court heard the Creswick man used his child’s pram to hide a bottle of bourbon, valued at $58, he stole from a local grocers in April. Three weeks later Crawford, who has never held a licence, was caught driving an unregistered car with no plates outside his Creswick property.

Crawford’s CCO, which he was placed on in November for similar driving related offending, was breached by both non-compliance and reoffending.

The man’s defence lawyer, David Taminika, said his client conceded the offending put him in a difficult situation.

Mr Taminika told the court Crawford, who had a low IQ, came from a significant dysfunctional background with a long history of alcohol, cannabis and ice abuse. He said Crawford began complying with the CCO before becoming “tardy”.

Magistrate Cynthia Toose said the difficulty with sentencing was Crawford’s non-compliance with court orders.

Mr Taminika said Crawford admitted he lacked motivation and enjoyed sleeping in.

When asked how to remedy that, Mr Taminika said his client was sceptical of his own ability to comply with a CCO and would prefer a short-term of imprisonment rather than a second order.

“I think he is being very realistic,” Ms Toose said.

Crawford was sentenced to a month in jail over the theft and unlicensed driving, and fined $300 for driving an unregistered vehicle.

He was also imprisoned for two months, with one month to be served concurrently, over the breach and fined $400.