A man has been banned from Sunderland city centre after being convicted of shop theft.
John Young, 34, of Toward Road, Sunderland, was given a two-year Anti Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) at Sunderland Magistrates Court on Friday, July 22. He was convicted of two theft offences and given a two-month suspended sentence for one year. The conditions of the ASBO are:
not to enter Sunderland city centre except to attend solicitors, Community Addiction Team or probation service, by prior appointment
not to enter Sunderland Shopwatch Partnership premises, including The Bridges Shopping Centre
not to commit any offence involving theft, or incite, encourage or be involved with others in such an offence or attempt any of the before mentioned in the Northumbria Police area.
The action forms part of Chief Constable Mike Craik’s pledge of ‘total policing’.
What they say
PC Nicola Dunn, of Sunderland’s Central Ward Community Team, said: " Young has numerous previous convictions for shoplifting in the Sunderland, South Tyneside and Newcastle areas. Retailers have the right to run their businesses without the threat of continuous criminal activity and the general public should be allowed to go about their everyday lives in a crime-free environment. We will always seek to take action against the small minority who flout the law and disrupt other people’s lives. Others will find themselves before the courts and could be forced, through ASBOs, to change their lifestyle or face the consequences."
