Two nightmare offenders who have caused families "sleepless nights" have been banned from setting foot on an estate in Newcastle. Chris Scott and Adele Latham have been banned from the Byker estate following growing concerns over their behaviour, including threatening and intimidating residents.
Police also received intelligence that the pair have been exploiting a number of vulnerable residents in the area over the past two years, taking over their addresses in a practice known as cuckooing. After repeated attempts, officers from Northumbria Police have successfully secured and served injunctions on the pair.
The orders mean that Scott, who has been arrested 75 times and has 50 convictions for offences which include violent crime, theft and drug supply and Latham, who has been arrested 40 times and convicted 31 times for a range of public order and drugs offences, will face arrest if they step foot in Byker or continue to associate with each other in the east end of the city.
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Issued at Newcastle County Court, the injunctions came into effect in December last year and will expire in 2024. But Scott had been deliberately evading authorities and was this month finally served with his injunction.
Sergeant Samantha Lowes, of Northumbria Police, said "We hope residents across the Byker estate will welcome the news that Scott and Latham – who’ve caused some families sleepless nights - can no longer enter the area. No one should have to live in fear of intimidation or harassment in their own neighbourhood.
"The majority of reports we’ve received about the pair’s anti-social behaviour centre around them causing alarm and distress and making people fearful of their presence. They’ve been given ample opportunities to turn their behaviour around, but instead of working with police and our partners, they’ve continued to cause a nuisance and have shown a repeat disregard for the law.
"These injunctions ban them from entering the areas most affected and help protect those vulnerable people suffering the most. Should they choose to ignore this, they face re-arrest and a potential jail term.
"We hope that this offers reassurance to the wider community, who do not deserve to be treated in the way they have. I’d like to thank them for their patience and cooperation and reassure them we will continue to do all we can to act on their concerns."
