King's Lynn woman given court order and suspended jail term for trying to coerce money from residents

A Lynn woman who sought to coerce elderly and vulnerable people into giving her money has been given a suspended prison term and a three-year criminal behaviour order (CBO).

Police say they hope the action taken against 26-year-old Sophie Carter will reassure the public of their determination to act against persistent offenders.

Carter, of Pleasant Court, was given the order during a hearing before Norwich magistrates on Saturday.

She was also given an eight-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and told to pay £3,000 in compensation, on charges of harassment and breaching a Community Protection Notice.

The case related to a number of incidents in the Lynn area, between November last year and January this year, in which Carter persistently knocked on residents' doors in a bid to force them to give her money.

Many of the residents targeted were elderly or vulnerable.

Police say Carter had breached an earlier Community Protection Warning, as well as the notice, over incidents of a similar nature.

The CBO bars her from causing harassment, alarm or distress to any person, or obtaining material or financial gain from any person, in West Norfolk.

The maximum penalty for breach such an order is five years in prison.

PC Rosalyn Hamilton, of Norfolk Police, said: "The purpose of a CBO is to enable us to give support to offenders whilst stopping offences being committed.

"It also acts as a way for us to provide reassurance to the public that we will deal with persistent law breakers.

"We hope these results show local residents that we will listen to your concerns and we will act on it.”