A JUDGE has warned that an inevitable jail sentence is in store for a west Cumbrian man who tried to rob two people in Carlisle – less than two weeks after he was released from jail for a similar crime.

Barrie Lee, 36, entered guilty pleas to two attempted robbery offences on March 29 last year. It happened shortly after 6pm on Bank Street in Carlisle city centre and the victims were a man and a teenage boy.

The defendant entered his pleas while appearing before Carlisle Crown Court via a video link from Holme House Prison at Stockton-on-Tees, where he is currently being held.

The court heard that Lee committed the offences just 12 days after he was released on licence from a 48-month sentence that a court had imposed for a “similar offence.”

Defence barrister Brian Russell told the court that he could not understand why it had take so long for the case to be brought to court.

After committing those last two offences, said the barrister, after he had been recalled to prison, Lee had made “significant progress.” Mr Russell said that Lee had been due for release on parole in September while the Probation Service had prepared a “very positive” report on the defendant.

The barrister added: “But he is well aware that the eventual sentence will be additional custody.”

Judge Ian Unsworth QC ordered that a fresh pre-sentence report should be prepared before sentence. He set the day for that hearing as October 13.

The judge told the defendant: “You must not interpret the fact that I am adjourning for a pre-sentence report in any particular way. This is a serious matter which will inevitably attract a custodial sentence.”

Mr Rogerson said he would make enquiries with Cumbria Police about why the case had taken so long to be brought before the court. At the time of his previous robbery offence, Lee was living in the Workington area.

He was remanded in custody until he brought back to court to be sentenced.