First sobriety ankle tag fitted

The first ankle tag that constantly monitors if an offender is still drinking has been fitted to a man for provoking violence outside a nightclub while drunk.

The use of “sobriety tags” is part of a year-long pilot scheme announced by Boris Johnson. The mayor of London said the scheme is targeted at people “getting a bit too tanked up on a Friday night” and becoming involved in violence.

Augustine Apraku, aged 24, from Elm Grove, Sutton, was yesterday ordered to wear the “sobriety tag” for 80 days after he pleaded guilty to one charge of using abusive language and provoking unlawful violence at Croydon Magistrates’ Court.

The scheme, which measures abstinence by testing the offender’s perspiration every 30 minutes for alcohol, is aimed at people who have committed a crime while under the influence of drink but who are not alcohol dependent.

The tags, which can be issued by magistrates to first-time offenders, must be worn 24 hours a day for up to 120 days.

If any trace is found, an alert will be sent to the offender’s probation officer and they can then be recalled to court, where they could face sanctions such as a fine or be re-sentenced.