COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

One of them is now behind bars



Trouble-making brothers were caught back inside a council house in Bedworth they had been banned from. Police, together with Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, had put a temporary closure order in place at a property in Drayton Road following a flood of complaints about trouble there.

Despite knowing to stay away, and a visible sign on the door explaining the order, just days later Ricky and Wayne Morrison were found inside the property. The brothers were both arrested and charged.

At Coventry Magistrates Court, Ricky Morrison, aged 41 of no fixed abode, was given a two-week prison sentence for possession of cannabis, remaining on or entering a premises in violation of a closure order, and failing to attend an initial assessment for drugs.

But, as this activated a previous suspended sentence order, Ricky Morrison was sent to prison for a total of 10 weeks. Wayne Morrison, aged 43 of no fixed abode, also pleaded guilty to the charge of remaining on or entering a premises in violation of a closure order.

But his detention was deemed served by reason of time already spent in custody. However, both the police and the council have said the court action shows they will not tolerate anti-social behaviour.

Inspector Ryan Price said Ricky Morrison was already 'skating on thin ice' and added: "The sign on the door to the property was very clear, but both of the Morrisons chose to ignore it and continue indoors anyway.

"Ricky in particular was already on thin ice for previous wrongdoing. We hope that this sentence serves as a learning experience for the two of them and highlights our commitment to acting on the concerns presented to us by our community."

Councillor Chris Watkins, Town Hall leader, added: "We will not put up with anti-social behaviour of any type in our borough, because it can make the lives of people in neighbouring properties a misery.

"We are pleased to see that our team’s work in obtaining the closure order and is another example of the hard work our council does to challenge anti-social behaviour and support police."