THE MAN given the Thames Valley’s first ever ‘violent offender’ tag is asking for his prison time to be reduced.
Andrew Harding, of Adwood Court, Thatcham, was jailed in August 2021 after he breached the terms of his order.
The 39-year-old, who has 17 convictions for 40 offences including wounding, has a “deeply unpleasant history of offending and behaviour”, a court heard last year.
This string of offending led to him being given a violent offender order in October 2020, the first person to receive such a tag in the Thames Valley.
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A requirement of the order compelled Harding to inform police when he had formed a relationship with a woman.
But the Thatcham man failed to do so after entering relationships with two women in May and June 2021.
Sentencing in August 2021, Her Honour Judge Nott told Harding he posed a “a risk to women and a high risk of harm to their children.”
Judge Nott sentenced Harding to three years in prison after he admitted to three counts of breaching conditions in a violent offender order, and one count of failing to notify police of new information.
Harding is set to serve half this sentence behind bars meaning he could be released at the start of 2023.
However, the 39-year-old has appealed his sentence in the hope of reducing his jail time.
His appeal will be heard at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, February 8.
