HEROIN BANDIT GETS JAIL WISH

A man who was arrested after being interviewed on The Footy Show thanked a
judge yesterday for sentencing him to 40 months in jail for a two-week
crime wave.

At an earlier hearing, Stuart Joseph Denning told Judge John Barnett of the
County Court that he believed jail supervision was the only way he could
beat his heroin addiction. He asked the judge to impose an appropriate
sentence with a long period of parole.

A relieved Denning, who was arrested after he appeared on "Sam" Newman's
Street Talk segment, thanked the judge before shaking hands with defence
barrister Dermot Dann as he left the courtroom.

In sentencing, Judge Barnett said Denning had wanted to be arrested because
it would help to break down his spiralling drug problem.

Judge Barnett said Denning faced a difficult path to kick the drug habit
but he was satisfied the one-time aspiring chef was sincere in his remorse
and wish to overcome his addiction. He will serve a minimum non-parole
period of 20 months.

The court was told that Denning, wanted for a series of heroin-related
offences, including an attempted armed robbery with a syringe, couldn't
resist the temptation to approach Newman as the football personality walked
in the Footscray mall with a camera crew.

When the segment was televised, Detective Senior Constable Gary Carson was
"putting his feet up after a hard day of police work", Mr Dann told the
judge at an earlier hearing.

Senior Constable Carson recognised his man as Denning tried to engage
Newman in a battle of wits. The 33-year-old was arrested five days later.

Denning, formerly of Werribee, pleaded guilty to seven charges, including
attempted armed robbery, theft and burglary. The offences occurred from
March 7 to March 26 this year in Werribee and Footscray.

Judge Barnett said Denning's crimes reflected the lengths of "despair and
desperation" experienced by heroin addicts.

In one incident, Denning threatened a hairdresser with a syringe while
demanding money from the shop's cash register. However, the employee would
not give up the money so he stole a customer's handbag as he left the store.

Judge Barnett said Denning, who had 76 prior convictions from 21 court
appearances, had the unstable family background and lifestyle familiar to
many drug offenders.

Denning started smoking marijuana when he was 15 and was addicted to heroin
at 16. He had once kicked the his heroin habit but had relapsed.