Man banned from Swaffham site and from being within 10 metres of farm buildings after CBO

A man has been handed a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) following a conviction for drug offences.

Police have today welcomed the order handed down to 31-year-old John Watson, of no fixed abode, following a court hearing in Norwich on Wednesday.

Watson was jailed for two weeks by Lynn magistrates in December, having pleaded guilty to possession of a Class A drug.

Police say he had been charged in June 2018, after officers found heroin during a search of plots on the Splashes site on Castle Acre Road, Swaffham, carried out as part of a campaign known as Operation Kingbird which aimed to tackle rural crime in West Norfolk and Breckland.

The CBO, which was sought by police following Watson's conviction, bars him from both entering the Splashes site as well as the Breckland policing district.

He is also banned from being within 10 metres of any farm building or farm outbuilding as well as any other non-dwelling outbuilding which he does not own, unless he has the express prior written permission of the owner which would need to be produced upon demand of a police officer.

Inspector Jon Papworth said: "This is a pleasing result as part of a dedicated operation targeting rural crime.

"We will always take action and use all powers available to us to help deter and disrupt criminal behaviour and the granting of a Criminal Behaviour Order for Watson is evidence of this.”