A MAN who made threatening phone calls to an NHS worker and shoplifted from a supermarket has been successful in a bid to reduce his jail sentence.

Craig James Adams was previously jailed for 18 weeks by magistrates in Barrow after breaking a community behaviour order for the fourth time, but has now had his sentence slashed.

He will serve a sentence of 12 weeks following a successful appeal at Preston Crown Court.

However, the defendant was not successful in a bid to reduce a seven-day concurrent custodial sentence that was also handed down for the shoplifting charges.

Adams, 45, of Salthouse Road in Barrow, was originally jailed following an appearance at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court on July 4.

The court was told that on July 3 he made threatening and abusive phone calls to an NHS employee.

The offence was said to have been committed while he was on post-sentence supervision having been released from prison and was the fourth time he had breached a criminal behaviour order previously handed down.

He was also jailed for seven days each for two charges of shoplifting.

The court heard that on February 18 he stole a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin from Morrisons in The Strand in Barrow

The defendant pleaded guilty to all the offences and was immediately sent to prison.

He was also ordered to pay compensation to Morrisons for the first shoplifting offence.

Adams has a number of previous convictions for similar offences.

In May 2019 he was jailed for 24 weeks after he admitted threatening staff at Furness General Hospital, breaking an order to prevent him from doing so.

South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court heard that Adams shouted abuse at medical and security staff at the hospital while there for treatment following an overdose.

The defendant admitted breaching a criminal behaviour order prohibiting him from acting in this way to hospital staff that was given to him by the court last year.

Magistrates were told he threatened to ‘stab’ and ‘knock out’ the staff.

Prosecutor Peter Bardsley told the court Adams was at the hospital and wanted to leave after a dispute with staff, but was told to stay because of the severity of his condition.

Adams was also said to have shouted at a patient in a cubicle forcing her to be asked to be moved away from him.

His solicitor Trystan Roberts described him as a ‘chronic alcoholic’ whose behaviour was influenced heavily by his addiction.

Before that in January 2019, he was given a five-week curfew after he called 999 to report a cut on his finger.

He had been given a criminal behaviour order in May 2018 after repeatedly and unnecessarily contacting the emergency services.

In December 2016, he locked up for 14 days after he stole two bottles of perfume from Debenhams.

The court heard in August 2016 that he had criminal record stretching to 385 previous offences, 200 of them thefts.

He was told at the time by magistrate Anne Hawson that he had ‘an appalling record of offences’.