Street beggar has criminal behaviour order revised to cover Northamptonshire

A man issued with a two-year criminal behaviour order last year following persistent begging in Daventry has now had his order revised to cover the whole of Northamptonshire.

Northamptonshire Police and West Northamptonshire Council submitted a joint application at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on May 17 to change the original order’s conditions after 37-year-old Thomas Grizzell continued his behaviour.

Northampton Neighbourhood Policing and Northampton BID Teams recorded 13 incidents of persistent begging involving Grizzell in Northampton town centre, between July 13 last year and April 30.

Grizzell, of The Slade, Daventry, was handed the original order at the same court on May 19 last year, after the police and local authority had received numerous complaints about his persistent anti-social behaviour in and around Daventry town centre.

This behaviour included repeatedly sitting outside shops asking people for money, food, and cigarettes, stopping drivers in car parks across the town and at the McDonald’s Drive-Thru as well as loitering around cash machines.

He also targeted vulnerable lone females including children and the elderly, and his persistent behaviour came across as very intimidating to those he approached - often during the hours of darkness.

However, although the original criminal behaviour order proved effective, it only focussed on the Daventry area, which enabled Grizzell to travel to Northampton to continue his anti-social behaviour.

The revised criminal behaviour order states Grizzell must not:

• Unlawfully ask any person for food, money, cigarettes, or any other property anywhere in Northamptonshire
• Sit on the ground begging anywhere in Northamptonshire
• Have any unlawful uninvited engagement with people unknown to him anywhere in Northamptonshire
• Have any unlawful uninvited engagement with any occupants of vehicles, stationary or moving anywhere in Northamptonshire
• Enter Daventry town centre, within the area of St James Street, B4308, Western Avenue, A425 Southway, Abbey Street, Market Square, Church Lane, Tesco in New Street, including the car park and the recreational ground next to it, New Street, Oxford Street up to the junction of St James Street.
• Attend Wimborne Place, Daventry, within the area of Northern Way, Speke Drive, Wimborne Place including the neighbouring park and surrounding footpaths which leads under the bridge of Northern Way
• Attend the CO-OP in Ashby Road, Daventry, or be within 50 meters of the premise
• Enter Northampton town centre including the Grosvenor Shopping Centre, Abington Street, St Giles Square, St Giles Street and Fish Street.

Inspector Beth Warren of Northampton Central Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “Tackling and preventing anti-social behaviour is a matter of priority for the Force, and by working in partnership with West Northamptonshire Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, together we will take steps to use these types of orders where it is proportionate and necessary to make our communities a safer place to live and work.

“Grizzell is a prolific and aggressive beggar, usually targeting vulnerable lone females to intimidate them into giving him cigarettes and money, which is why we are pleased to see this order granted.

“By issuing details of the order along with his photograph, we can make shop workers and the public aware of the restrictions imposed and ask anyone who sees Grizzell breaking the terms of this criminal behaviour order to report it immediately to us by calling 101 so we can take further action.”

Cllr David Smith, West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services, said: "Aggressive begging causes concern for many people who use our town centres, particularly the vulnerable and elderly.

“The decision of the court this week demonstrates that we can take action to tackle these issues and our officers will continue to pursue cases like this to keep our residents safe and ensure that anti-social behaviour has no place in West Northamptonshire.”