NANU Miah walked into a Basildon newsagent, pointed a knife at the lady shop assistant, and ran off with £80. It was a nasty robbery, which may well have left the victim traumatised.

Sadly, though, as crimes go, the circumstances were nothing unusual. It was yet another casual robbery with a deadly weapon, seen as the quickest possible means to steal money to fund a drug habit.

One factor set this particular crime apart, however. That very morning, Miah had been in front of magistrates for a previous crime.

Released with no more than a suspended prison sentence, he walked straight out of the court, and almost straight into the unfortunate newsagent’s shop.

Miah is clearly a criminal with no intention of even trying to reform, and the speed with which he reoffended suggests that he is completely oblivious to the criminal justice system.

He is not alone in this respect. Across the country, there are too many cases where criminals offend, right up to the level of murder, while on suspended sentences, police bail, or parole.

Magistrates, and others in the justice system, should study Miah’s case and at least question whether there is too much leniency.

The statement “prison is the only proper place for him” certainly applies to Miah, and partly because it seems to be the one environment where he stands a hope of tackling his drug addiction.