Beggar fined and banned from Mansfield Woodhouse supermarket

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A homeless man has been banned from a supermarket and from begging anywhere in Mansfield over his persistent bad behaviour.

Denis Fairbanks, aged 30, of no fixed address, has been handed a two-year criminal behaviour order, banning 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”.

He is also banned from entering any part of the Morrisons supermarket in Mansfield Woodhouse.

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The order follows an application by Mansfield Council to Mansfield Magistrates’ Court.

Morrisons, Woodhouse Centre, High Street, Mansfield Woodhouse,Morrisons, Woodhouse Centre, High Street, Mansfield Woodhouse,
Morrisons, Woodhouse Centre, High Street, Mansfield Woodhouse,

The court heard he had a previous conviction for using threatening words and behaviour towards a council community safety officer.

Fairbanks failed to attend the hearing and was sentenced in his absence – he was also fined £60 and ordered to pay a £24 surcharge and £370 costs – after being convicted of five offences of failing to comply with a community protection order.

The 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, despite being served with a letter from the supermarket banning him from doing so.

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The council said it tried to support Fairbanks, but he never engaged with offers of help and continued to beg, leading to him being served with community protection notices in February and May last year.

A council spokeswoman said: “He continued to breach these notices which left the council no alternative but to step up its response by applying for a CBO to prevent him from begging within the district of Mansfield.”

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If he breaches the CBO, he could face jail.

David Evans, council head of health and communities, said: “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.

“We also take anti-social behaviour very seriously as part of a wider strategy to make Mansfield a safer place.”