TPA CTLR DESCRIBES EVENTS WHEN TRYING TO PROVIDE IFR ATC SVC TO PLT UNABLE TO FLY IFR.

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THE PLT TURNED TO A 120 DEG HDG OFF RWY 35R AT PIE CLBING TO 1600 FT AND SHOULD HAVE FLOWN A 270 DEG HDG AS ASSIGNED BY THE TWR. TWR VERIFIED THEY ISSUED A 270 DEG HDG FOR DEP. I ALSO OBSERVED THE MODE C AS NOT RPTING AND I ASKED THE PLT TO VERIFY THE MODE C WAS ON AND ALSO THE ALTIMETER SETTING. THE PLT RPTED AN ALTIMETER SETTING OF 30.53 AND I TOLD THE PLT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN 30.13. AFTER THE PLT PUT IN THE NEW ALTIMETER; I ASKED THE PLT TO VERIFY ALT. AT THIS TIME I HAD ISSUED A CLB TO 3000 FT AND THE MODE C WAS INDICATING AT TIMES MORE THAN 300 FT OFF; SO I HAD THE PLT STOP THE ALT SQUAWK. I VECTORED THE ACFT 3 TIMES FOR THE LOC BACK COURSE RWY 35R AND EACH TIME THE PLT COULD NOT FLY THE APCH. THE ACFT WENT UNSAFELY L OR R OF COURSE REQUIRING ME TO TAKE THE ACFT OFF THE APCH AND STARTING OVER. THE PLT WOULD ONLY SAY THAT HE RECENTLY HAD HIS RADIOS WORKED ON AND WANTED VECTORS. I TOLD THE PLT I DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HE MEANT BY WANTING VECTORS BECAUSE THAT WAS IN FACT WHAT I HAD BEEN GIVING THE PLT. I WAS VECTORING THE ACFT EACH TIME FOR THE APCH. PIE DOES NOT HAVE A PUBLISHED ASR APCH AND THE ILS RWY 17L WAS NOT THE BEST CHOICE DUE TO THE STRONG TAILWIND COMPONENT ON FINAL. I DID ASK THE PLT IF HE HAD AN INSTRUCTOR ON BOARD; AND HE SAID HE DID NOT. A SHORT TIME LATER; I FOUND OUT HE HAD 3 HRS 30 MINS OF FUEL ON DEP AND THERE WERE 2 SOULS ON BOARD. I DECIDED AFTER THE FIRST APCH AND THE WAY THE PLT COULD NOT FOLLOW DIRECTIONS THAT I WOULD TREAT THIS SIT AS AN EMER BECAUSE THE TOPS WERE AT 2400 FT AND THE CEILING WAS AROUND 800 FT OVCST REQUIRING THE PLT TO BE IN ACTUAL IFR CONDITIONS FOR MOST OF THE APCH. AFTER THE FAILED ATTEMPTED ON THE LOC BACK COURSE; IT WAS DECIDED (WITH THE PLT'S CONCURRENCE) TO VECTOR THE ACFT FOR THE ILS RWY 17L. MY SUPVR CONCURRED. I VERIFIED THAT THE PLT HAD ALL THE REQUIRED DATA TO EXECUTE THE APCH AND CLBED THE ACFT TO 3000 FT AGAIN AND STARTED THE ACFT NBOUND FOR THE APCH. SHORTLY AFTER THE LAST ATTEMPT FOR THE BACK COURSE; I VECTORED A LEAR FOR THE BACK COURSE AND THIS PLT VERIFIED THE LOC WORKED FINE AND DID NOT HAVE ANY PROB MAKING THE APCH. I WAS OFFERED A BREAK BY ANOTHER CTLR. I ADVISED THE OTHER CTLR THAT IF HE WANTED THE POS WITH THE SIT AS IT WAS WITH THE CESSNA; HE COULD TAKE THE POS. AFTER A THOROUGH BRIEFING; THE RELIEVING CTLR TOOK OVER. THE CESSNA WAS ABLE TO LAND UTILIZING THE ILS RWY 17L. SEVERAL ISSUES CONCERNED ME WITH RESPECT TO THE CESSNA'S TIME IN THE AIR. THE PLT DID NOT SEEM TO GET DIRECTIONS CORRECT AND DID NOT SEEM QUALIFIED FOR THE FLT HE HAD FILED. I BRIEFED MY SUPVR OF THE PROBS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FLT AGAIN AFTER I WAS RELIEVED. I ALSO FOUND OUT FROM CO-WORKERS THAT THIS PLT HAD THESE KINDS OF PROBS IN TIMES PAST DURING SERIOUS IFR WX. I FELT SOME INVESTIGATION WAS NEEDED WITH RESPECT TO THIS PLT'S PROFICIENCY AND ABILITY TO ACTUALLY FLY IFR. A PLT LIKE THIS DELAYS OTHER ACFT; CAUSES AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF WORK FOR THE CTLRS; AND ENDANGERS HIS OWN LIFE AS WELL AS OTHERS.