A MAN has been sentenced to prison for breaking a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) last week.

Benjamin Taylor, 34, of no fixed abode, admitted breaching his CBO by entering Reading town centre and begging, and refusing to leave an area when asked by authorities to do so.

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Taylor breached his CBO on Friday, August 28, and Wednesday, September 2, and was sentenced in Slough Magistrates Court on Friday, September 11. He was sentenced to two weeks imprisonment.

PC Jason Jones, based at Reading police station, said: “We always use CBOs as a last resort after working with our partner organisations to provide support to those who require it.

"However, we will not hesitate to enforce them when they are in place.

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“We recognise that this behaviour has a real impact on local businesses and the people visiting them.

“This was the first CBO granted to the new town centre policing team, and the fact that Taylor faces imprisonment for breaching the order demonstrates that we take reports of anti-social behaviour in the town centre seriously and will deal with these robustly.”

Taylor's CBO will remain in place for the next two years.