Council secures its first Criminal Behaviour Order with indefinite ban

A London borough has secured its first Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO), which indefinitely bans an individual from entering all residential addresses in the area bar one.

According to Hackney Council, Desmond Rodney, 38 of Dalston, was well known to the authority and the police over a five-year period. He would befriend vulnerable tenants and then use that relationship to take over their homes to use as his own.

An Anti-Social Behaviour Order in force since 2012 against Rodney was due to come to an end on 28 February.

On 3 February Rodney appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court for breaching the ASBO after he was caught in a part of the borough he was banned from. He was also charged with possession of Class A drugs.

Hackney and the police took this opportunity to apply to the court for a CBO. This type of order became available from 20 October 2014 through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

The conditions of the order are that Rodney must not:

• Enter any residential property in Hackney other than the address specified in the order;
• Harass, assault, threaten intimidate or cause annoyance or nuisance to any employee or agent of Hackney Council (including Hackney Homes), other social landlord or any other Hackney resident in the Hackney area;
• Enter Arcola Street, Shacklewell Lane, E9, Colvestone Crescent, E9 and Ball Pond Rd, N1.

The council’s officers successfully submitted that the order should be granted until “further order”.

Cllr Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor of Hackney Council, said: “The safety of our residents is our number one concern. We were left with no other option but to secure the first CBO in Hackney. We are pleased that the judge put it in place indefinitely, as this will enable us to monitor him [Rodney] more closely.”