Fareham woman issued Criminal Behaviour Order preventing her from entering town centre

A Fareham woman has been handed a Criminal Behaviour Order preventing her from entering the town centre.

Rebecca Connelly, 28, was issued the order after pleading guilty to several offences of begging and public order incidents at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court today.

The offences occurred in Fareham town centre between August and November this year.

The court heard Connelly would approach people in the street, businesses and motorists in their cars, asking for food and money.

Magistrates handed her a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order, lasting until November 2021.

The conditions, which will also be advertised locally to retailers in the town centre, include:
• Not to enter, sleep, or remain in area of the town centre (including car parks) specified by the court, unless a prior appointment has been made with a specified service.
• Not to sleep or remain in any residential communal block/hall way if not a resident of that particular building in the borough of Fareham and Gosport.
• Not to approach any member of the public and actively ask for money, goods or sit or loiter outside any premises for the purposes of begging in the boroughs of Fareham and Gosport
• Not to approach any member of the public in a vehicle, attend any person’s private residence or any commercial premises and ask for money or transportation to a different area in the boroughs of Fareham and Gosport
• Not to leave drug paraphernalia in a public place, in which members of the public could come into harm from these items in the borough of Fareham or Gosport.

Neighbourhoods Policing Team Inspector Richard Thompson said: “This has taken a lot of hard work from my team and the officer leading the case, PC Karen Stevenson, but it was in the best interest of our community.

“We hope that businesses and residents are reassured that we will take action against those who persistently break the law in this way.

“We know that anti-social behaviour can have a negative impact on those who work and live in the town, and we will look at all powers available to us to bring those responsible to justice.”