ASBO Bennet 9 september 2009

Wednesday 09 September 2009, 2:34pm

A woman from Finchampstead has been issued with an anti-social-behaviour order (ASBO) after a catalogue of complaints from other residents.

Thames Valley Police and Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) stepped in to protect people in the Dart Close area of Finchampstead from the noisy parties, shouting, swearing and other anti-social behaviour (ASB) of one tenant.

Police and WBCs council tenant services and legal teams have worked together to secure an ASBO on Lorraine Bennett, aged 27, of 4 Dart Close, Finchampstead.

Police and tenant services began to receive complaints about noise and other problems involving Bennett last summer. Between July 22 and December 11 2008, while Bennett was temporarily living in neighbouring Orbit Close, incidents were reported on over 60 separate days.

Following that, police and the council secured an interim ASBO curtailing Bennett’s behaviour and this interim order was confirmed as a full order at East Berkshire Magistrates’ Court on 1 September.

The order states Ms Bennett must not:

•Engage in conduct which causes, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or harassment to any person within the Wokingham Borough

•Assault or threaten any person with violence and/or be verbally abusive or offensive toward any person within Wokingham Borough

•Cause a nuisance by shouting, swearing, fighting, playing loud music, singing, banging, slamming doors or otherwise do anything likely to disturb other anywhere in Wokingham Borough

•Play music (except by using headphones) inside 4 Dart Close (or any future property in which she resides in the Wokingham Borough) between the hours of 11pm and 7am

•Be in possession of an open container that has alcoholic beverage in it in any public place in the Wokingham Borough, save for licensed premises. For the avoidance of doubt, ‘public place’ includes her front garden

•Have more than two people (excluding herself) inside 4 Dart Close (or any future property in which she resides in the Wokingham Borough). ‘People’ does not include: (i) any medical professionals; (ii) the emergency services; (iii) the council’s employees, agents or contractors; (iv) Ms Bennett’s children (v) up to three children aged ten and under

•Allow any person to visit 4 Dart Close (or any future property in which she resides in the Wokingham Borough) for using, buying, selling or producing drugs

•Use or allow any paraphernalia or illegal drugs to be present in 4 Dart Close (or any future property in which she resides in the Wokingham Borough).

The order will be in force until 31 August 31 2011 and if Bennett breaches it she may be arrested by police, prosecuted and face a possible five-year prison sentence.

PC Naomi Jolliffe, anti-social behaviour co-ordinator for Wokingham Local Policing Area said: “ASB at this level cannot be tolerated. I hope Ms Bennett’s ASBO will send out a reassuring message to the community.

“This ASBO means that if she commits any breaches of the conditions she will be dealt with robustly.

“Any members of the public who see Ms Bennett breaching her conditions are encouraged to call Thames Valley Police on 0845 8 505 505 or the Wokingham Borough Council ASB Coordinator on 0118 974 3798.”

Head of tenant services Simon Price said: “We would like to thank tenants and residents who have worked with tenant services and police to bring this matter to court.

“The council does not take action like this lightly, but we must protect the tenants and residents of Wokingham Borough against unacceptable ASB and we felt a court order was the best way to achieve that on this occasion.

“We have worked with Ms Bennett to try to resolve this but there have been problems even after the interim ASBO was issued and so, in the interests of other residents’ safety and quality of life, we felt there was no choice but to secure this order.”

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