A notorious street beggar who repeatedly harassed vulnerable people in Southend city centre has been jailed again for six months and banned from public begging until 2030.
Richard Lewis, 38, of no fixed address, was a frequent nuisance in Southend High Street, where he routinely targeted members of the public – including children and disabled people – demanding money and aggressively escorting victims to cash machines when they didn’t have any on them.
On 5 April, Southend Magistrates’ Court issued Lewis with a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO), following numerous reports of abusive and intimidating conduct.
Under the terms of that CBO, he was barred from:
- Using abusive, threatening or intimidating language or behaviour in public
- Approaching anyone in the City of Southend to ask for money or goods
- Sitting on the ground outside any shop
- Begging in any public space
- Entering residential tower blocks unless they were his permanent address – specifically Pennine, Chiltern, Malvern, Quantock, Blackdown, Brecon, Grampian and Barringtons
Despite the restrictions, Lewis continued the anti-social behaviour. Police said he persisted in harassing members of the public, focusing on vulnerable individuals, including children. He had previously been jailed in 2024 after coercing a young autistic boy to withdraw cash from an ATM.
Following the repeated breaches of the CBO, he was arrested again on Southend High Street on 6 May and later charged with four public order offences, one count of assault and four breaches of his CBO.
At a hearing at Southend Magistrates’ Court on 29 May, Lewis admitted all charges. He was sentenced to six months in prison and had his CBO extended until 2030.
PC Lois Greenlees, of Southend’s neighbourhood policing team, said:
“I know there’s been real public concern around the behaviour of Richard Lewis and his repeated offending against the public. That’s exactly why we have crucial measures like this order in place, to ensure we can quickly get offenders like Lewis back before the courts to face any breaches and fresh offences.
“He’ll now be off the streets of Southend, away from where he can do further harm, until he rightly faces sentence. Criminal Behaviour Orders are a vital tool in our arsenal to deter and detect the actions of prolific offenders causing substantial anti-social disorder.”
Southend’s Neighbourhood Policing Team confirmed it will continue its focused patrols and enforcement work to protect the public from aggressive street activity and repeat offenders.