1 October 2004
We defended a beggar who has been arrested more than 50 times and against whom an Anti-Social Behaviour Order was made, banning him from begging anywhere in England and Wales for two years. It was the Crown’s case that he had “harassed the public in Manchester for more than three years, sitting near cash machines, car park pay stations and places of entertainment and asking for spare change”. The District Judge ruled that our client’s behaviour "disfigured" the city centre: "It harasses people going about their lawful business and activities. The public should not have to pass people persistently asking them for loose change. While it is true it might not cause them alarm or distress, they are certainly facing harassment." We argued on our client’s behalf that the order was being used to bring the punishment of possible imprisonment to an offence that did not carry it under law.