Jail term for man who called woman 'a rat'

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Communities and also in Legal

A Lancashire man has been handed a three month suspended prison sentence after calling a woman "a rat".

Michael Harris, 23, of Birchwood Drive approached the woman in his local supermarket, breaching a court injunction obtained by Chorley Community Housing.

The injunction order was made in September 2011 after a female resident reported that Harris had threatened to “smash her face in” and grabbed her by the hair.

The order banned Harris from approaching the woman and from entering an area of Longfield Avenue in Coppull.

However, in March Harris approached the woman at a Spar store, swore at her and called her "a rat".

He denied the charge in court, but the judge found the incident was proved and said that Harris had shown a “wilful disregard to the injunction”.

On another occasion Harris was found at an address in Longfield Avenue by the police.

Tenancy Enforcement Officer Selena Leeming said: “The witness in this case was really brave and stood up to someone who has been reportedly causing problems around Longfield Avenue for some time.
 
"The injunction order has been extended and this means Harris cannot go onto Longfield Avenue until September 2013. If he does, then this should be reported to the police."

Tenancy Enforcement Manager Debbie Parkinson added: “This is a great result and sends out a clear message to all perpetrators of anti social behaviour that their behaviour will not be tolerated and that there are consequences.

"If Harris breaches his injunction order again then he could go to prison for three months."