A MAN has been given a six-month conditional discharge after police community support officers spotted him begging on four occasions in January.
Gavin David Wilson, 25, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at York Magistrates’ Court to begging on January 4 in Duncombe Place, on January 11 in Station Road, and at Bootham Bar on January 20 and January 21. He has a long list of previous convictions, including begging.
His solicitor, Liam Hassan, said he had been begging for the essentials of life. He had been without any money at all because he had been remanded in custody on charges that were dropped. After his release from prison there was a delay before he could get benefits. He was now expecting to receive Jobseeker’s Allowance. He was not begging to maintain a drug habit.
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