A ‘persistent’ beggar said to have abused and threatened police and council staff has been given a three-year ‘Crimbo’ banning him from asking for money in Nottingham.
Nottingham City Council said Nathan Jackson, 27, had been a regular sight on the streets since 2015, approaching passers-by for cash.
The authority applied for a Criminal Behaviour Order and said it took him to court after ‘numerous’ complaints about his threatening behaviour,
A statement from the authority said Jackson slept in doorways of city centre businesses “after making himself homeless and disengaging with outreach services and would refuse to move when staff or customers needed access”.
Officers from Nottinghamshire Police and the City Council were regularly called to remove him, only to be verbally abused and threatened.
Both British Transport Police and Nottingham Express Transit officials also received complaints about his behaviour on tram platforms.
In one of the latest incidents, Jackson was ejected from Nottingham Station in the early hours of January 11 this year due to it being closed, but was arrested when he became threatening and abusive to staff.
Another incident the following month involved Jackson verbally abusing a member of NET staff at the Station Street tram platform.
The council added: “Efforts to engage with Jackson by Nottingham City Council and Framework staff continued to be made for him to address his homeless lifestyle and evident substance misuse.
“All offers of help and support were refused by him, often aggressively and on occasions Jackson openly stated he did not want to be accommodated and admitted to begging to support his heavy Class A drug use.”
Jackson, of no fixed address, also refused to move from shop doorways in the city and at Castle Marina Retail Park, even after they opened for business, the council said.
On Wednesday, April 26, Jackson appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to a public order offence, a separate racially aggravated public order offence and four charges of begging in a public place.
He received a 12-month community order, with a 12-month drug rehabilitation requirement and a ten-day rehabilitation activity requirement to address his substance misuse and homeless lifestyle.
He also received a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO), sometimes known as a Crimbo, prohibiting his begging anywhere in the city, entry into the Castle Marina Retail Park and Nottingham Station and blocking access to any business, property or pavement requiring access in the city.
The CBO followed on from a previous civil injunction preventing him from travelling on any NET tram without a valid ticket, begging on any tram or platform and from verbally abusing or threatening tram staff.
Councillor Nicola Heaton of Nottingham City Council said: “Jackson has refused all offers of help to address his offending, drug use and homelessness and in the meantime has continued to behave unacceptably towards the public, train and tram staff and enforcement officers. This order banning him from begging in Nottingham offers protection to the public from his persistent offences and abusive and threatening behaviour.
“We expect him to comply with the order and hope he will seek to address his offending behaviour by addressing its root causes through engagement with the rehabilitation activity handed down by the court.”
