Offender forced to pay more than £1,000 in first cuckooing specific injunction order

The County Court in Northampton have issued the first cuckooing specific injunction order in the town.
The Guildhall.The Guildhall.
The Guildhall.

On Monday, June 11 the court issued the injunction order to an individual residing in Stanley Road for cuckooing, a practice in which an individual or group takes over the home of a vulnerable person in order to use it as a base for drug dealing.

The order forbids the individual, who was not present at the hearing, from acting in an anti-social manner which is likely to cause nuisance, annoyance, distress or alarm to one or more persons, and from entering any residential property without written permission from either the landlord or the owner.

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Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Rod Williams said: “I’m really pleased that this individual has been stopped in their tracks.

“Cuckooing involves taking over the home of a vulnerable person in order to use it as a base to deal drugs. This causes issues not only for that person whose home it is but also the surrounding community.

“We want people to tell us when they have concerns about one of their neighbours, friends or relatives who may have become victimised in this way so we can take action to safeguard the person and investigate those people who have taken over their home.”

The application for the injunction order was submitted by Northampton Borough Council and Northamptonshire Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, along with evidence, which was considered during the hearing.

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As part of the terms of the order, the individual will need to attend two appointments with the Borough Council’s Outreach Team each week and positively engage with all services and agencies recommended by their supervising officer.

In addition, the individual was ordered to pay the court costs, amounting to £1,206.

Any breach of the condition of this order, which will be enforced until June 10, 2019, could see the individual arrested and imprisoned or fined for being in contempt of court.

Councillor Anna King, cabinet member for community safety and engagement, said: “Cuckooing is a dangerous practice so we’re pleased that our partnership work is making progress in this area and has resulted in this successful conviction.

“We hope that it serves as a warning to others that we take such offences very seriously and will take action against anyone who engages in this practice.”