main content Prison sentence for breach of ASBO

A 20 year old St Mary Cray man who breached an Anti-Social Behaviour Order has received a prison sentence at Croydon Crown Court.

Charlie Lee (born 7 June 1984) of Rookery Gardens, St Mary Cray was sentenced to five and a half years prison on 18 April 2005 after pleading guilty to the offences of:

• breach of ASBO on 16 January 2005 whereby he intentionally trespassed in the home of a vulnerable male with learning difficulties at Luddesdown House, St Mary Cray;
• burglary at Luddesdown House, St Mary Cray on 17 January 2005;
• robbery - where he robbed victim at above address; and
• common assault in High Street, Orpington in November 2004.

Lee was sentenced to four years for both the robbery and burglary to be served concurrently. He received 12 months for the breach of ASBO, four months for the common assault and two months for breach of licence.

The sentence is to be served in a Young Offenders Institute.

Councillor Colin Smith, Bromley Council's Executive Councillor for Community Safety and Chairman of the Safer Bromley Partnership said: "ASBO's are a hard-hitting and effective way of putting a stop to the anti-social behaviour of a minority. This behaviour has an extremely negative impact on the quality of life for all Bromley residents so if an ASBO is broken, the consequences are very serious as this judgment shows."

Chief Inspector Matt Bell, Metropolitan Police (Bromley Borough), said: 'People often criticise ASBO's as ineffective because they are breached by those against whom they are granted. These people are completely missing the point. Not only are they frequently successful in achieving what they set out to do from day one, but most importantly, when an ASBO is breached the individual concerned is arrested, charged, taken to court on every occasion and, as in this case, imprisonment often follows. It is extremely rare for such swift and effective justice to be meted out so effectively' .

ENDS

For further information, please contact Chris Cairns at Bromley Council on 020 8461 7911 or email chris.cairns@bromley.gov.uk.