Man jailed and given CBO

A man has been jailed and issued with a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) for several offences in Swindon town centre in the run up to Christmas.

Jamie Loveridge, 28, of Queens Drive, Swindon, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on February 6 after pleading guilty to four counts of shoplifting, and one count of common assault, burglary and using threatening/abusive/insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of/provoke unlawful violence.

He was jailed for six months, while an eight-week suspended sentence was also activated, giving a total sentence of eight months.

He was also issued with a two-year CBO, which excludes Loveridge from the pedestrianised area of the town centre, as well as all Co-op stores, while he is also required to register with Wiltshire Police any pedal cycle he owns.

CBO applications are the subject of a multi-agency panel prior to being submitted to ensure the conditions are proportionate and appropriate to address the offending behaviour and offenders are not set up to fail.

The panel consists of professionals from the Probation Service, Substance misuse support services, Swindon Borough Council and mental health services.

There are also representatives from the Swindon Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Integrated Offender Management team and the Neighbourhood Harm Reduction Unit.

Inspector David Tippetts chairs the panel. He said: “The Swindon multi-agency CBO panel was conceived to ensure there is consistency in the application of these orders.

“A CBO is an order to help prevent ASB and crime and reduce offending.

“By having the right people around the table it’s possible to create conditions and positive requirements to address each individual’s offending, providing an opportunity for them to improve their behaviour.

“This is the first CBO issued by the courts using this process and we will continue to apply for these orders where the panel deems necessary.

“On his release from prison, if Loveridge breaches any of the conditions imposed he commits a criminal offence and is liable to arrest and once again he will be put before the courts.

“The exclusion from the Town Centre sends out a clear message that this type of ASB will not be tolerated and we will seek similar conditions against others if proportionate to do so.”