People and communities
Successful prosecution for town centre PSPO breach
Published on
Walsall Council has successfully prosecuted an individual for breach of the Walsall Town Centre PSPO (Public Spaces Protection Order) following a hearing on 4 October 2023 at Dudley Magistrates Court.
Jonathan Ricketts failed to appear at court where he was being prosecuted for breach of the PSPO for urinating in public. Magistrates found the offence of breaching the PSPO on 17 July 2023 was proved beyond reasonable doubt.
Mr Ricketts was fined £150, including a surcharge of £60 and costs of £817.92, totalling £1,027.92.
Notably, the Magistrates agreed to issue a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) of four years, meaning that the defendant must not enter or remain within Walsall Town Centre.
“ We are pleased with the outcome of this hearing, and I would like to thank everyone involved in bringing these cases to court.
Since the defendant had previously been prosecuted twice for breaching the PSPO, the Criminal Behaviour Order was the next logical step following two other successful CBO applications recently. The team will liaise with the police to ensure prompt action is taken, should the defendant be seen again.
Our priority is to ensure that Walsall is a place where people feel safe and we will continue to take action against anyone who breaches the PSPO. “
ENDS
Notes to editor:
- This is the sixth successful prosecution and third Criminal Behaviour Order, which Walsall Council has successfully brought forward in the last 12 months.
- Walsall Council’s Community Protection Team brought the prosecution under a breach of the Walsall Town Centre Public Space Protection Order. PSPOs help deal with a particular nuisance or problem in a specific area that is damaging to the local community’s quality of life. The PSPO in place in Walsall town centre was put in place to tackle anti-social behaviour including street drinking and public urination.
- Breach of a PSPO is a criminal offence for which an individual can be summoned to attend court and fined. Fixed Penalty Notices of £100 may also be issued to deal with a breach.
