A Mansfield man who ignored several warnings to stop pretending to be homeless and begging outside of pubs and shops has been banned from the town centre.
Mansfield District Council was successful in obtaining an anti-social behaviour injunction against Peter Oxley, of Birkland Street, Mansfield, banning him from entering the town centre, falsely claiming to be homeless, begging and harassing members of the public. A power of arrest has been attached to the order.
Mansfield District Council took action after members of the public complained that Mr Oxley was persistently begging outside of shops and pubs with his dog and became abusive when asked to move on by shop staff, police and council officers.
Councillor Angie Jackson, joint Portfolio Holder for Wellbeing, Health and Safer Communities, said: “Enforcement action is the very last resort, but when someone is behaving in this manner, then we have no viable option other than to seek formal legal intervention. Mr Oxley, who is not homeless, was offered support multiple times before we took this action, but sadly this did not change his behaviour. We will continue to offer our help to Mr Oxley moving forward.
“We understand that behaviour like this can make people feel unsafe and cause distress, so it’s important that we take action when we can. We encourage everyone to report anti-social behaviour to us so that we can build evidence and work with our partners to stamp it out.”
Mr Oxley, who did not attend the court hearing, has also been banned from entering Mansfield Leisure Park and St Peter’s Retail Park, and has been ordered to pay more than £1,100 in court fees.
For more information on anti-social behaviour and how to report it, visit https://www.mansfield.gov.uk/community-safety-crime/report-anti-social-behaviour