Who'd've thunk it?
Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 9:20 pm
A life-long crook who sparked outrage when he was sent on a Safari in his teens to try to stop him offending has been jailed again - after committing his 111th offence.
Criminal Mark Hook, 35, was dubbed 'Safari Boy' when he was given a three month African 'character-building' holiday in 1993.
But the 'reward' for his crime appears to have done little to control his bad behaviour and this week he was sentenced at Glouceter Crown Court to 18 months in prison.
Hook admitted mugging a frail pensioner while she did her shopping and handling property stolen from another elderly woman.
Judge Jamie Tabor QC branded Hook a 'perpetual villain' who had constantly broken promises to be an 'honest citizen'.
'We have been looking at each other across this court for many years,' he said.
'There have been many protestations from you that you are going to become an honest citizen and behave yourself. So far you haven’t.'
The judge said Hook’s latest crimes were similar to those when he was last jailed - for two years - in 2009 for mugging a frail 80 year old man in the street.
He added 'You have an appalling record. Your latest offences were planned and you acted in concert with another person. You are a perpetual villain.'
Hook sparked outrage in 1993 when he was sent by social services on an 88 day junket to Egypt and Kenya to keep him out of trouble. The teenager had made a series of appearances in youth courts and had been in a children's home in north Wales at the time.
His luxury £7,000 safari - funded by social services - caused a national outcry and was condemned in the House of Commons by Prime Minister John Major.
The idea had been to take Hook away from the area where he committed his juvenile crimes and show him places where people were worse off than him.
But it all backfired and soon after Hook’s return he started offending again - continuing on an almost non-stop crime spree which has carried on until this day.
Just months after the jaunt, Hook appeared at Gloucester Crown Court for 34 offences in January 1994 alone. They included burglary and taking a car without consent and he was given a year’s supervision order.
Three weeks later in February 1994 he was back, admitting burglary with intent and getting a further 12 months’ supervision. In July he was sentenced to six months’ youth detention for burglary and two months later was given a further nine months for handling stolen property and driving while disqualified.
The repeat offender is estimated to have cost the taxpayer around £1m over the years.
