Court Bans Man from All Pubs in Newark Town Centre

A persistent troublemaker in the pubs of Newark has been barred from every licensed premise in the town centre for five years.

A criminal behaviour order has been secured on 29-year-old Shamus Doyle who has a record, stretching back more than two years, of drunkenness and of violent and threatening behaviour.

The order was made last Thursday (20th June) following Doyle’s conviction at Nottingham Crown Court on 7th May for two counts of common assault, burglary, theft, attempted theft and possession of an offensive weapon and his subsequent jail sentence for two years and three months.

The court found that Doyle had ‘engaged in behaviour that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons’ and that it ‘considers that an order is necessary to help in preventing the offender from engaging in such behaviour’.

Newark has various schemes in the town to ensure the safety of pub and bar customers, including a partnership between Newark and Sherwood District Council, Newark Police and the Pubwatch scheme in town.

Under the terms of the criminal behaviour order Doyle is banned from:

• Any public house within Newark town centre;
• Entering Queen's Head Court or the area directly between the Queen's Head public house and Sir John Arderne Public House;
• The Roaring Meg Public House, Barnby Gate, Newark at any time;
• The Grove Public House, London Road, Balderton, at any time.

If Doyle fails to comply with the terms of the order, which extends beyond his current prison sentence, police have the power to arrest him and he may face a further custodial sentence.

NSDC leader David Lloyd believes that this approach is suitable for the disruptive minority who can cause distress to members of the public, “Criminal behaviour orders are an extremely useful tool in seeking to put sanctions on the small number of people who cause misery to others. The public can be assure that when this type of behaviour is reported, police and council staff will take the matter seriously.”

He continues, “We want the residents of Newark and Sherwood to have the confidence and reassurance to report anti-social behaviour and I am pleased the courts have supported our actions.”

Inspector Heather Sutton, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood, attributed the sentence to the successful partnerships between the authorities and venues in the town and believes everyone will benefit, “By banning Doyle from all of these licensed premises, these establishments will be able to operate in the knowledge he will be unable to have a negative impact on their businesses, allowing staff and customers to go about their business without being in fear.

“The fact that the court has seen fit to put a five-year order in place reflects the gravity of Doyle’s unacceptable behaviour. It also sends out a strong message that this sort of criminal behaviour will not be tolerated within our community.”

Pubwatch is a voluntary organisation, established to help protect licensees in the town centre, which meets monthly to discuss and share issues of mutual concern to ensure pubs provide a safe and welcoming environment.