A judge sentencing a mother-of-three to a drug rehabilitation scheme urged her to become only the second person he had dealt with to complete the programme.

Judge Roger Scott said his own record in respect of imposing drug testing and treatment orders was "abysmal" as he made Carla Range, who stole a mobile phone from a disabled man last month, the subject of a DTTO for a year.

His comments came at Bradford Crown Court yesterday when it was heard how Range, 36, of Hapsburg Court, Little Horton, asked 21-year-old wheelchair-user Aiden Hanley if he wanted his phone charging when she saw him waiting for a lift in the block of flats.

When he refused Range took the phone from him and got into a lift with another woman, telling Mr Hanley to meet them on the tenth floor. But when he reached the floor the women were nowhere to be seen and Range later sold the £100 phone for £10.

She pleaded guilty to theft and was yesterday sentenced to the order for a year, requiring her to take regular drug tests and return to court for monthly progress reviews.

Judge Scott also warned that she could face up to four months in prison if she failed to complete the order. It was not the first time Judge Scott has spoken of his frustration over the failure rate of DTTOs. In October last year, the Telegraph & Argus reported his disappointment at re-sentencing 26-year-old Leigh Fagan to ten months in jail after twice breaching his DTTO.

Then he said: "I thought there might be a chance that for once I might pass a sentence of DTTO that might succeed."

In March the T&A also revealed how nine out of ten offenders were failing to complete the programme in Bradford.

Today West Yorkshire Probation Service announced only 12 out of 90 offenders given DTTOs in the city in the last year had seen the scheme through.

But, despite the low completion rate, DTTOs were having a positive impact on reducing drug use and preventing crime, said its spokesman.

In the last three months testing showed an overall drop in drug use, with two thirds of offenders testing negative for heroin and more than 82 per cent clear of cocaine.

Bradford DTTO team manager Terry Roberts said: "If an offender is testing negative he is not using and logically not committing drug-related offences. No offences means no victims."

He said more offenders were also close to finishing the scheme in the next few months and he spoke of the team's aim to achieve the 35 per cent success rate set by the Government.