A homeless man who admitted a series of offences, including an assault on a pensioner, has been spared jail but has been banned from Bath city centre and told he can’t beg.
Callum Lean was brought to Bath Magistrates’ Court in custody on Wednesday, 29th October, after a warrant without bail was issued for his arrest the previous week.
At a court appearance on 8th October Lean, who has 64 previous convictions, admitted that while begging in Union Street on 11th June he had kicked a 70-year-old man after the older man offered him advice about getting a job.
Lean had also pleaded guilty to failing to comply with a community protection notice on 11th June, being drunk and disorderly in Stall Street on 8th June and on the same day causing criminal damage to a police van in Keynsham.
Proceedings had been adjourned until 24th October for a pre-sentence report to be prepared by the Probation Service. But Lean, who had been on unconditional bail, failed to turn up on that day and the warrant was issued.
At his appearance last Wednesday, the court heard that Lean was also guilty of two further charges committed in Bath on 16th June – an assault on a Big Issue seller and another failure to comply with a community protection notice, both of which he had admitted on 16th August.
On Wednesday, Lean also admitted failing to turn up in court on 24th October although magistrates heard that he had been confused about the date and when he had checked with the police they had told him his next court appearance wasn’t until January.
Representing Lean, solicitor Mark O’Donnell said the 33-year-old had self-medicated himself off Class A drugs and now wants help for his alcohol problem.
With the Probation Service recommending a nine-month alcohol treatment requirement and a community behaviour order, Mr O’Donnell urged magistrates to suspend any prison sentence. He said Lean is easily recognisable in Bath so if he offends again, would be back in court and would inevitably receive a custodial sentence.
For the two assaults, magistrates imposed concurrent 10-week custodial sentences suspended for 18 months. They also agreed to the alcohol treatment requirement and eight rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) days.
They ordered Lean to pay £200 compensation to each of the men he assaulted. They made no separate penalty for the other offences and did not impose a surcharge although they ordered Lean to pay £85 towards prosecution costs.
A community behaviour order was also imposed which Lean will be in breach of if he enters a city centre exclusion zone or begs.
Lean announced to the court that he could not avoid Bath city centre, so would have to move to Bristol.
