A 43-YEAR-OLD man who is already banned from Whalley and Clitheroe has now been barred from Blackburn town centre after being caught begging there on two occasions.

Blackburn magistrates heard an Anti-Social Behaviour Order, imposed in September, banned Gavin Whalley from begging anywhere in the UK for two years.

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And following the latest breaches magistrates made a Criminal Behaviour Order which bans him from Blackburn town centre for two years and also from entering Kemple Court, an independent living complex for the elderly, for the same period.

Whalley, who gave his address as Ward C9 at Royal Blackburn Hospital, pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Asbo. He was made subject to community supervision for six months and ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge.

Suzie Privett, prosecuting, said Whalley had been seen begging outside Morrisons on one occasion and on the other nearby in Railway Road.

Miss Privett said: “People feel intimidated and threatened by his behaviour. The manager of Kemple Court describes a couple of instances where he has come into the complex, causing distress to the residents.”

Jonathan Taylor, defending, said staff at the hospital were extremely concerned about Whalley leaving without having anywhere to go.

“If he is back on the streets they don’t anticipate he will be alive for very long,” said Mr Taylor.

He said he had known Whalley since school days.

“When he was in the Whalley and Clitheroe areas a lot of people would go out of their way to give him food because they knew him from school,” said Mr Taylor.

He said Whalley had worked as a security officer at the Brockhall Village complex until things started to go wrong in his life.

“He started to drink more and more and in recent years there have been psychiatric issues,” said Mr Taylor. “He is no longer able to look after himself and the begging has clearly become a problem.”

Mr Taylor said having previously been barred from Whalley and Clitheroe his client could not resist being barred from Blackburn.

“There is an argument that these orders just move the problem elsewhere,” he added.