Jailed again: Telford drug addict kept pestering the public despite ban
A Telford drug addict banned from knocking on doors to ask householders for money has again been jailed after he fleeced victims of almost £200.
Armadeep Rana, 31, repeated the fraud and pocketed £195 from unsuspecting residents in the Randlay area, just three weeks after he was released from prison for breaching a criminal behaviour order for similar offences.
Samantha Powis, prosecuting barrister, said that in the latest crime Rana knocked on front doors and gave the six victims various excuses including that his mother was suffering renal failure and that he needed money for a taxi to visit relatives in hospital.
He was handed sums of between £10 and £80.
Rana was initially jailed for five months in July last year for five offences of fraud. In September he returned to court when he was jailed for six months for further offences and made subject to a three-year criminal behaviour order preventing him from approaching people in the streets for money, knocking on people's doors and requesting money, or going into someone's property without permission of the owner.
Sentencing him for the latest offences Judge Peter Barrie told him: "You should have learned your lesson from that.
"I see from your breach report that you were released on February 26 this year, and on March 15 and 16 you were again offending.
Forbidden
"When you where brought to court on September 25, for the seriousness of the way you were behaving the court indicated a criminal behaviour order. You were forbidden from pestering householders by ringing their doorbells and asking for money.
"Now I have to deal with you for six further offences. The six offences breached the order.
"I accept that your addiction to drugs played a part in you returning to this type of offending."
Rana, who has been in custody since March, admitted six offences of making false representation and six offences of breach at a previous hearing.
Judge Barrie said a custodial sentence was appropriate after hearing that the victims were left distressed and feeling embarrassed when the offences came to light.
Robert Edwards, mitigating, said the defendant was "remorseful" and and was undergoing drug treatment in prison.
For fraud Rana, of Far Vallens, in Hadley, was jailed for nine months and for breaching the order he was jailed for14 months to run concurrently. He must serve half of the term before being released on licence when he will be subject to 12 months supervision. He must also pay the victims' surcharge.
