An man who reportedly persistently harassed and verbally abused vulnerable members of the public has been remanded to prison awaiting sentencing, following a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) obtained by Essex Police.
Richard Lewis, 38, whose address is unknown, was issued the CBO by Southend Magistrates’ Court on 5 April. The order came in response to numerous reports of Lewis aggressively begging and coercing individuals to withdraw money for him.
Under the terms of the CBO, Lewis is strictly prohibited from swearing, intimidating, or abusing people in public. Additionally, he is forbidden from approaching individuals for money or goods within Southend, begging in public places, or sitting on the ground outside shops. Furthermore, he is barred from entering specific tower blocks unless he resides in them permanently.
Despite these restrictions, Lewis has reportedly continued to target vulnerable individuals, including children and disabled persons, attempting to extort money from them. The reports led to his arrest on Southend High Street on Tuesday 6 May, where he was charged with four public order offences, assault, and four breaches of the CBO.
Lewis admitted to all charges and will remain in custody until his court appearance on Thursday 29 May at Southend Magistrates’ Court.
Acting Sergeant Lois Greenlees, from Southend’s neighbourhood policing team, commented: “I know there’s been real public concern around the continued behaviour of 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.”
The police force added that Criminal Behaviour Orders are instrumental in deterring and detecting the actions of repeat offenders who cause substantial antisocial behaviour.