A BIDEFORD man has been jailed for a total of 62 weeks after breaching the conditions of his Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

At a hearing last month, 29-year-old Robert Tellem pleaded guilty to one count of violence to secure entry, three counts of assault by beating, one count of common assault, two counts of assaults on emergency workers, one count of criminal damage, one count of damage to police property and 11 counts of theft from a shop.

As a result, Exeter Magistrates’ Court sentenced Tellem to 52 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months and granted a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) to assist police in managing his problematic behaviour.

On September 1, Tellem was arrested and remanded after breaching several conditions of his CBO, including being located within the exclusion zone, being drunk in a public place (with exception of a public house within Devon and Cornwall) and behaving in a way that is intimidating or threatening to any person.

He appeared in court again on Wednesday, September 2, and was sentenced to an additional 10 weeks in prison; totalling 62 weeks when added to the 52-week suspended sentence which has now been activated.

Neighbourhood Beat Manager, PC Laura Hancock-Smith said: “Criminal Behaviour Orders are put in place to protect the public from persistent anti-social and threatening behaviour.

“Tellem was subject to clear conditions designed to prevent behaviour that could cause fear, distress or disruption to communities within North Devon.

“Despite this, he chose to breach several of the conditions, leaving us with no option but to take enforcement action.

“This sentence demonstrates that breaches of court orders will not be tolerated. We are committed to ensuring North Devon remains a safe and welcoming place for residents, businesses and visitors, and we will continue to work proactively to deal with people who have a negative impact on our communities.”

Anyone with concerns or information about antisocial behaviour should report it to police online using the reporting tool on the force website: www.dc.police.uk or by calling 101.