Woman sentenced in her absence for entering a house closed by the council over anti-social behaviour

The property in Wordsworth Way, Priorslee, had been closed by Telford & Wrekin Council on January 17 this year under section 76 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The nature of the alleged anti-social behaviour was not set out during a trial at Telford Magistrates Court on Thursday .

Clarice Bowers, aged 26, of no fixed abode, had been required to attend her trial on Thursday . The case had already been adjourned from March 12.

The court was told that she had sent the court her reason for not attending but magistrates did not accept it and went ahead with the case in her absence.

She was not represented in court when the case against her was outlined.

Magistrates were told that officers from Telford & Wrekin Council had reported seeing two people on CCTV footage as they entered the property in contravention of the closure order at 9.30am on January 19.

Four police officers from the Donnington and Priorslee Safer Neighbourhood Team had been assigned to the case. No-one except the homeowner and certain others including the police and council officers were allowed to enter the property for a 48 hour period.

The court was told that when police knocked on the door at 10.20am, the homeowner opened a window and spoke to an officer. They were let in, directed upstairs and found a woman 'covered by a quilt'.

She gave what turned out to be a false name and, after being allowed time to get herself ready, was arrested, handcuffed and taken away in a police van for questioning, the court was told.

Magistrates found that there had been a breach of the closure order, Bowers had no previous convictions and had moved to Sunderland.

They handed down a conditional discharge that will last 12 months, as well as prosecution costs of £200 and a victims surcharge of £26.

The case comes after a man was fined £120 after admitting entering the premises on February 13 this year.

Tyrone Chadwick, of Viscount Avenue, Telford, had his case dealt with by Kidderminster Magistrates Court in March.