A PROLIFIC thief has been fitted with an electronic tag and issued with an Anti-Social Behaviour Injunction (ASBI) following a spate of vehicle crimes in Stroud.

Ian Kingston, aged 36 and of Nouncells Cross, Stroud received the injunction at Gloucester and Cheltenham County Court on Tuesday 21 November.

The ASBI was brought against Kingston by Solace - a joint team of officers from the council and Gloucestershire Constabulary - in order to curb his behaviour.

It forbids Kingston from:

  1. Engaging in conduct which causes or is capable of causing alarm or harassment or distress to any person within the district of Stroud, Gloucestershire.
  2. Using or threatening to use violence towards any person within the district of Stroud.
  3. Begging at any time in the District of Stroud, Gloucestershire (this includes but is not limited to asking for money and/or cigarettes and/or food). 

The injunction and the power of arrest is in place until 4pm on November 21 2024 and any breaches could result in him being sent to prison.

The ASBI follows Kingston's appearance at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court on November 2, where he pleaded guilty to a number of vehicle interference offences committed in the Stroud area between August and October this year.

He was charged with four counts of vehicle interference after being captured on CCTV trying door handles in residential areas and fraud by false representation for using a bank card thought to have been stolen from a motor vehicle.

The court also heard how Kingston had been seen entering a motor vehicle and stealing a quantity of money.

Kingston asked the court to take a further 38 offences into consideration.

Under the terms of his sentence, Kingston must undergo a nine-month treatment programme for drug dependency, pay court costs of £114 and pay his victims £40 each.

His whereabouts are to be electronically monitored until 1 November 2024 and he must also take part in a 30-day community rehabilitation programme, Build Better Relationships.

Prior to Kingston's arrest, Stroud Neighbourhood Policing Team took part in two operations following a rise in reports of thefts from motor vehicles.

In a bid to reassure the public and help prevent further crimes, officers checked for any unlocked cars in the town and owners were informed about their unsecured vehicle.

Police are urging members of the public to report any breaches of the ASBI.