A 'NUISANCE' father-of-three who was banned from approaching strangers and asking for money is starting another spell in jail after breaching his criminal behaviour order.

Preston Crown Court heard Tanveer Ahmed Masood knocked on doors of houses in Blackburn over Christmas and New Year asking for £20 either to pay for a taxi or to fill his car up.

But by doing that that put the 47-year-old, who has 29 convictions for 108 offences, in breach of the order he received from the crown court in 2016 for committing similar offences.

Prosecuting, Patrick Williamson said the first incident happened at 1am on December 28 when Masood approached victim Sean Bolton carrying a jerry can and claiming to be the brother of a takeaway owner. He claimed that he needed money for petrol, but when no money was handed over he walked away.

At 8pm on the same day, Masood approached Gilly Puzan, claiming to be a neighbour and asked for £20 to pay for a taxi. He said that he had no money on him, his family were out and there was nobody to settle the debt with the waiting taxi driver.

Concerned by what Masood was asking the victim rang her husband and while she was inside her home, the defendant repeatedly rang the doorbell and knocking on the door. He eventually left empty-handed.

Mr Williamson said that shortly before midnight on New Year’s Day Masood knocked on the door of victim Tina Richardson and initially spoke to her son. He began persistently asking for £20 to pay for petrol for his car which he claimed had left at a nearby garage. When that didn’t work Masood asked if they would go to the garage and pay for the petrol on a bank card.

Shortly after midnight on January 3, victim Danial Petrov saw Masood loitering outside his home.

Masood then knocked on his back door and asked for £20 for petrol. Mr Petrov didn’t have £20 but when he gave Masood £10 because he felt sorry for him, the defendant ran off.

In the early hours of January 5, Masood knocked on the door of Isobel West asking for £20, claiming his car had run out of fuel, it was parked nearby and his children were still inside it.

Ms West refused but not wanting Masood to discover she was in the house alone she eventually gave him £20.

On January 14, Masood went to the home of Tina Jackson and asked for £20 to pay for a taxi. Ms Jackson said Masood was persistent and left her feeling alarmed but she did not give him any cash.

Masood, of Johnson Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to five counts of breaching a criminal behaviour order and dishonestly making a false representation.

Defending, Michael Maher said his client, a drug addict, had been doing well after coming out of prison at the earlier part of last year, living at the Salvation Army in Heaton Street and working at his uncle’s cash and carry.

However after being denied visits to his three children in December, Mr Maher said his client was offered drugs on a “first one is free” basis, relapsed and began his “nuisance” offending to pay for drugs.

Mr Maher said his client was now addressing his addiction and had told him: “I’m too old for this rubbish.” Sentencing Masood to 15 months in prison, Recorder Tim Harrington said: “Your counsel rightly describes you as a nuisance.”