Woman banned from Northampton town centre jailed for drinking and urinating in public
A woman, who was banned from parts of Northampton town centre, has been jailed after she was caught drinking and urinating in a public place, which resulted in her TENTH breach of a court order this year.
Sylvia Johnston, of no fixed address, appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on September 7 where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to breaching a criminal behaviour order (CBO) and outraging public decency.
The 44-year-old was the subject of a two-year CBO handed down by magistrates on May 10 this year following an application from Northamptonshire Police due to her anti-social behaviour in the town.
Conditions of the CBO included a town-centre exclusion zone and a ban on her drinking in public.
On Friday, September 6, officers patrolling as part of Operation Workforce, the force’s campaign to stamp down on crime in the town centre in the run up to the reopening of the Market Square, found Johnston intoxicated in Abington Street with an open alcoholic drink. She then walked off into Wellington Street where she urinated in public, according to police.
Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Aaron Dilley said: “This incident was Sylvia Johnston’s 10th breach of her CBO this year, and we have repeatedly put her before the courts for her lack of regard for the conditions she is supposed to abide by.
“Her actions on September 6 were absolutely unacceptable and it’s this sort of thing that tarnishes an area for everyone else – people should not have to put up with anti-social behaviour like this.
“Operation Workforce is all about taking robust action against those who refuse help and continue to commit crime and cause issues in Northampton town centre, affecting those who live, work and shop there.
“We take those issues very seriously and have been successfully using a range of powers to take action against them. This sentence illustrates that those who commit what they may see as low-level anti-social behaviour may end up facing a custodial sentence as a result.”
Johnston was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison.
The conditions of Johnston’s CBO will remain in effect upon her release from prison.