A court has banned a homeless man from a supermarket and from begging anywhere in the Mansfield district after the council resorted to legal sanctions for his persistent anti-social behaviour.
Denis Fairbanks, 30, of no fixed address, must now comply with a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order.
This prohibits him from begging or acting in an anti-social manner likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to anyone within the Mansfield District (or from instructing, permitting or encouraging others to do so), and prohibits him from entering any part of the Morrisons supermarket in Mansfield Woodhouse.
If he breaches the Criminal Behaviour Order, he could face prosecution for a criminal offence and further penalties, which could include imprisonment.
He was also fined £60 and ordered to pay a surcharge of £24 and costs of £370.
Mr Fairbanks failed to attend the hearing at Mansfield Magistrates' Court on 20 April 2023 and was sentenced in his absence after he was convicted, in his absence, at an earlier hearing of five offences of failing to comply with a Community Protection Order served on him last year.
The court heard he had a previous conviction for using threatening words and behaviour towards a Mansfield District Council Community Safety Officer last year.
These offences occurred following council action against him after it received numerous complaints from staff and members of the public about him begging at Morrisons in Mansfield Woodhouse, and despite being served with a letter from the supermarket banning him from doing so.
The council tried to support Mr Fairbanks by arranging appointments with the Housing Needs team and homelessness charity Framework, but he never engaged with these offers of help and continued to beg.
As a consequence, Community Safety Anti-social Behaviour Officers served him with Community Protection Notices in February and May last year.
He continued to breach these notices which left the council no alternative but to step up its response by applying for a Criminal Behaviour Order to prevent him from begging within the district of Mansfield.
David Evans, Head of Health and Communities at the council, said after the hearing: "Mr Fairbanks has a considerably long record of begging in this district.
"We have tried our best to support him and help him as a homeless person - and that offer remains open to him - but he has continued to reject these offers of help and has shown aggressive and abusive behaviour towards our officers.
"This is something we are not prepared to tolerate. As an employer we have a duty of care towards the health and safety of our staff. As a council we also take anti-social behaviour very seriously as part of a wider strategy to make Mansfield a safer place.
"If Mr Fairbanks breaches this Criminal Behaviour Order, rest assured the council will be robust in its response."
Anti-social behaviour can be reported on the council website (link opens in new window).