Nuisance beggar Rebecca Connelly in Fareham jailed for 20 weeks at Portsmouth Crown Court

Rebecca Connelly, 29, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court after admitting four charges of breaching a criminal behaviour order.

As previously reported, she has tied up hours of police officers’ time through begging in Fareham town centre.

A CBO imposed on her banned her from entering the town centre or begging.

Connelly, whose address was Gosport Road, Fareham, had been remanded in prison prior to sentencing.

Speaking yesterday after she was jailed, Fareham neighbourhood inspector Richard Thompson said: ‘We use the powers available to us to prevent the people responsible from being able to continue this behaviour, and it is always positive when CBOs are imposed.

‘However, as is the case with Connelly, there are always those individuals who flout the law persistently and ignore the conditions that have been legally imposed on them.’

As reported, she was handed the order on November 22 last year. The same day she was spotted by police at 4.40pm and told officers she was collecting a methadone script.

But police knew it was a lie. They had taken her to Tesco pharmacy before court that morning.

Two days later she approached two people at 8.30pm outside One Stop in Gosport Road, Fareham, asking them for cash but they refused as they recognised her. Connelly launched a foul-mouthed tirade as she walked off.

On January 2 at 2pm she was spotted at a car park by police. She was arrested and hauled into court the next day.

But on January 4 she was back at it again in High Street, Gosport. Connelly claimed she was pregnant, begging for cash to eat. Her target offered to take her to get food but she refused, taking £10 in cash.

When she spotted £5 in his wallet she claimed she needed £4 for a bus fare. When police arrived Connelly claimed she knew the person and was not begging. She was then arrested.

In February judge William Ashworth had adjourned sentence for Connelly to discuss her options with the housing team at HMP Bronzefield.

Today he jailed her for 20 weeks concurrent on all four charges.

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