By Kate Bower
Essex Police have become the first police force to give evidence from a buddi tag to convict a prolific burglar criminal in court.
Career criminal, Darren Girling volunteered to wear a Buddi tag on his ankles as a condition of having his movements monitored after being given an 8 year deferred sentence for committing 80 residential burglaries in 2013. He was aware the tag could precisely monitor his movements all day, yet it did not stop him offending. Basildon court heard he had triggered speed cameras in a 30mph stretch of A13 in Leigh. His car was recorded at 41 mph on both November 17th and 184th 2013 respectively.
Checks on his tag showed him on the A13 at the time the camera was activated. He was further convicted for 2 counts of cannabis production, criminal damage to his tag, six charges of stealing from a vehicle, and threatening a police officer . Girling had been growing the Cannabis plant at addresses in both Canvey and Leigh. A menace to the public, the area is much safer without him. Drug use in the Southend area has become widespread, with dealers often involved in turf wars that have led to a number of deaths in the area in the past year. Though Cannabis is generally used as a recreational drug, many dealers graduate to selling harder drugs once they have made a lot of money as they aim to extend their market for higher profits. The dealings of such hard drugs have mainly been responsible for murders in the town. A large percentage of youths have become aimless allowing their lives to revolve around cannabis, though their are admittedly more responsible adults who also use cannabis for social purposes. Girling’s successful prosecution case shows the efficacy of the Buddi tag in pinpointing offenders movements and will hopefully serve as a deterrence to others on tag that they will be found out if they breach their conditions whilst on tag.
