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Court days spark anger
Friday 5th June 2009, 11:49AM BST.
Defendants waiting outside a Mid Wales court are “intimidating” customers leaving many elderly people too afraid to go out angry shopkeepers said today.
Businesses in Severn Street, Welshpool, are now calling for an increased police presence on Tuesdays, when Welshpool Magistrates Court sits.
Les Oliver, of Oliver’s Value Centre, said: “I have been calling for an increase in police presence because people tend to gather outside the court and drink cans of beer.
“It is very intimidating for customers who come along the street and I wouldn’t be surprised if some were too scared to come down on Tuesday mornings.
“On one occasion they took one of the footballs outside the shop and started having a kick about with it.”
Gordon Brooks, of Brooks Cycles, said: “They were evacuated and as there is no fire assembly point they gathered outside my shop and one of them stole a bike,” he said.
“It is not nice. They are all drinking and smoking and it doesn’t reflect well on the town at all.”
Sian George, Dyfed Powys Police spokeswoman, said officers had set up patrols last Tuesday to monitor behaviour and it would continue next week.
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If these people are drinking whilst waiting to appear before the court their behaviour should be made known to the magistrates and sentenced appropriately for contempt of court.
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Well I’m sure they still do their shopping another day.
Some of these defendants may be getting a custodial sentence. Surley the shop keepers don’t want to deny them one last beer with their pals?
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John Howard: Your comment reminds me of the time when a defendant charged with being drunk and disorderly was before a Judge well known for liking a drop or two himslef.
The prosecutor had an unfortunate habit of mixing his metaphores and contintinually refered to the defendant as being ‘as drunk as a judge’ to which the judge glared and coughed.
Eventually the Judge said “do you mean as drunk as a Lord?”
To which the prosecutor replied “Oh yes, quite right my Lord”
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