Street drinker handed Crasbo (From Worcester News)

Street drinker handed Crasbo

4:30pm Friday 28th September 2012 in News By Neil Watts

A WELL-known street drinker with a long history of anti-social behaviour has been handed a Crasbo banning him from areas of Worcester city centre.

Marco Velasco, of The Hopmarket, was served with the two-year criminal anti-social behaviour order at Worcester Magistrates Court on Thursday following a conviction for being drunk and disorderly on Wednesday, September 12.

Under the terms of the order the 41-year-old is banned from entering an exclusion zone of The Shambles, Church Street and Windsor Row or being drunk and disorderly in a public place.

Velasco is also prohibited from begging in any place, consuming or possessing an open vessel of alcohol in any place where consumption is prohibited by law or behaving in any way that causes or is likely to cause any person harassment, alarm or distress.

Nor can he use aggressive, threatening or intimidating behaviour, or use, demonstrate or threaten violence.

PC Paul Slaymaker, of the city centre policing team, said: "Mr Velasco is a familiar face in Worcester city centre, but for many of the wrong reasons. Despite having a flat in the city centre, he often gives the impression of being homeless and often begs at ATMs in the evening.

"He also plays the bongos and ‘busks' for money, but quite often in a way that makes it little more than begging and nuisance to local businesses in particular.

He added: "Mr Velasco is also often under the influence of drink and drugs in public and behaves in an anti-social way when he is, so we have taken the step of applying for a Crasbo to try and protect the public from his behaviour.

"He is often around Church Street and The Shambles so his Crasbo prohibits him from entering that area.

"If anyone sees Mr Velasco begging, ‘busking', drinking or being generally anti-social, please contact West Mercia Police on 101 and we can take action."