A man has been banned from Huddersfield town centre for two years after begging members of the public for cash.
William Riley was handed the Criminal Behaviour Order by Kirklees magistrates today (July 19).
They decided that the order was necessary to protect the public after the Berry Brow man acted aggressively towards some women who refused to hand over their spare change.
Riley, of Bishop’s Court, pleaded guilty to two charges of begging in a public place.
They prohibit people from placing themselves in a public place, street, highway, court or passage to beg or gather aims.
The offences are brought under the Vagrancy Act 1824 and are so archaic that magistrates do not have proper sentencing guidelines for them.
Andy Wills, prosecuting, said that the owner of a shop in Imperial Arcade complained about the 35-year-old’s begging on June 16.
At 8am he heard Riley swearing, looked outside and saw him sat on the floor.
Mr Wills said: “He recognised him as a regular and he was asking people for money.
“The witness heard him ask an elderly female for some money, she refused and he called her a ‘f****** s***’ and a ‘b***’.”
Magistrates were told that Riley then continued asking for cash, swearing at some other females who ignored his request.
The witness called police and described Riley to them.
He accepted that he would come into the town centre with no money, also begging by BHS and Greggs in order to buy food.
Riley also admitted to begging outside Huddersfield Railway Station and was caught there on June 30.
A witness who had caught the train into Huddersfield for work spotted Riley as she left the station.
He asked her for some loose change and she ignored him.
When he continued to approach other women she called police and he was found at the bus station.
Mr Wills said: “He said he’d decided to have a mooch and somebody gave him £1.”
Mr Wills told magistrates that Riley had been coming into town more frequently and asking people for money.
They were told that the Criminal Behaviour Order would prevent him in engaging in behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Jonathan Slawinski, mitigating, said that his client had a long-standing problem with heroin and crack cocaine.
He recently relapsed and this triggered his begging, he explained.
Mr Slawinski said of the offences: “It’s a very old piece of legislation.
“It hails back to the Napoleonic Wars to stop soldiers from begging when they came home from the war.”
The two-year order bans Riley from entering Huddersfield town centre as defined by the ring road.
Exceptions to this are if he has an appointment with his solicitor, Lifeline, Kirklees Council services or the Job Centre.
They also gave Riley a two-year conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £20 victim surcharge.
