The prosecutor pointed out John Loxton has 101 criminal convictions on his record, including 45 for theft.
“I mean, seriously,” assistant Crown attorney Michael Donald said to Justice Mark Poland during a recent sentencing hearing. “Enough is enough.”
Loxton’s record also caught Poland’s eye in December 2022 as he sentenced him to 16 months in jail. At the time he called it appalling and said Loxton should never get released as the professional, yet extremely unsuccessful, thief demonstrated a commitment to crime.
Loxton previously was sentenced to 100 days in jail in 2016 for telling a security person he had a knife after stealing cologne from a store. In 2017, he received another 45 days for theft.
Poland already has sentenced Loxton, 39, for similar crimes two different times this year. In March, he agreed with both lawyers five months in jail was the right number.
“The next time you’re here in court the right number’s going to go up,” Poland cautioned him.
And he was right. During the recent hearing Loxton got one year behind bars.
In March, he had just two weeks left to serve after pre-plea custody credit and almost immediately reoffended, including by breaking the rules of a probation order banning him from being anywhere on Quinn Drive in Sarnia.
Defence lawyer Robert McFadden, who’s represented Loxton for decades, repeatedly has told the judge his client is stealing to support his fentanyl habit, which he called terrible.
“He looked like death warmed over,” McFadden recalled following his most recent arrest.
Donald said Loxton is a serious drag on police, security and court resources in Sarnia.
Poland recommended Loxton serve his sentence at the Ontario Correctional Institute in Brampton that offers drug addiction treatment.
“Alright, Mr. Loxton, good luck to you, sir,” he said.