Portsmouth teenage drug dealer banned from Buckland for 'terrorising' residents

Terrified residents plagued by Shariff Shakur were so scared they refused to let their children play outside as the 18-year-old caused mayhem on a ‘daily basis’.

One resident told police Shakur would ‘ponce about like they own the estate’ and added: ‘I have had enough of these people, they just laugh at the police, they have no fear.’

Shakur was previously hauled before magistrates after being caught three times with £4,600 worth of heroin and crack cocaine.

But now Portsmouth City Council has won an interim civil injunction against Shakur, banning him from the entire area of Buckland. If he flouts the order he can be arrested.

David Clark, senior anti-social behaviour investigator at Portsmouth City Council, revealed how residents felt like ‘prisoners on the estate’.

He told The News: ‘Shakur would come into the estate on a daily basis and meet with his peer group, predominantly in and around the stairwells and balconies of Seymour Close.

‘From there on a daily basis they would proceed to commit drug and vehicle crime, threaten violence to residents, damage property and cause high levels of nuisance all over the estate, revelling in the culture of fear they subsequently engendered in the community.

‘City council staff and contractors working in the area were also targeted by being shot at with a high-powered BB gun and being regularly threatened with violence.

‘Local residents became so fearful of the group that they would not allow their children to play outside, would feel scared to leave their homes and felt like prisoners on the estate.’

As reported, Shakur, of Samuel Road, Kingston, Fratton, was handed a four-month tagged curfew between 6pm and 6am for drug dealing offences.

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Police backed the council’s bid for an injunction. Officers had previously imposed a dispersal order in Seymour Close, Buckland, where Shakur caused mayhem.

In June last year gangs of up to 20 youths were spotted fighting, riding motorbikes on paths and being abusive to residents.

Another resident told police: ‘They think they own the estate and just terrorise everybody.

‘They go along the balconies banging on the panels, peoples windows and doors.

‘They threaten to hurt anyone that talks to the (police) or the council. I just lock my front door and try and stay quiet, I can't let my kids outside to play, we're just prisoners here.’

Acting inspector for Portsmouth Central, Sean Hopkinson, said: ‘We recognise from having spoken to residents how much this kind of behaviour can negatively impact people’s lives and this is simply not acceptable.

‘We are committed to improving the quality of life for our communities while reducing crime, and hope that this result offers some reassurance to the residents impacted by this kind of persistent anti-social behaviour.

‘This outcome shows that we will support injunction action to stop persistent anti-social behaviour by working alongside our partners in order to achieve the best possible outcome for our communities.’

Separately, Shakur appeared at magistrates' court last month and admitted having a BB handgun in Moorland Road, Kingston, on December 28. He will be sentenced on January 28.

Shakur can challenge the interim order but council officers want it to run for two years.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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