Rotherham Interchange menace jailed for breaching ban

AN “IMMATURE” offender who has continued to ignore orders banning him from Rotherham Interchange for being violent towards staff, police officers and the public has been jailed
Leo Ralph was jailed for a year at Sheffield Crown CourtLeo Ralph was jailed for a year at Sheffield Crown Court
Leo Ralph was jailed for a year at Sheffield Crown Court

Leo Ralph (20) breached his criminal behaviour order (CBO) seven times and was jailed for a year at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday).

The court heard Ralph had previously breached similar orders 29 times — described as “appalling” by Recorder Bernard Gateshill. 

He was last jailed in November for eight weeks but began offending again and “revelling in the defiance” upon his release the following month.

Recorder Gateshill said: “Should there be any further breaches of this order you can expect the sentence to be in years and not months.”

Ralph was issued his latest CBO in October 2017 for being violent and behaving in an anti-social manner at Rotherham Interchange and Meadowhall Interchange.

One staff member from Rotherham’s bus station said staff “had the right to work in peace”. 

PC Christopher Byne, who leads South Yorkshire Police’s Travel Safe team, said in a statement that Ralph had regularly returned to Rotherham Interchange to speak to staff.

“They know when Ralph is released there will be an immediate return and the issues will start again,” he said.

Prosecutor, Ms Louise Gallagher, said Ralph’s latest breaches had begun on December 21 when he had visited Rotherham Interchange five times and Meadowhall Interchange twice over a period of four weeks.

When he was arrested for being at Rotherham’s bus depot he claimed it was his identical brother John, who had been wearing the same clothes.

Ms Gallagher said this was a lie and there was no such brother.

Ralph, of Longley Avenue West, Sheffield, admitted the breaches at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on January 9.

“It’s all low-level disobedience of a criminal behaviour order,” said Ms Gallagher.

“The defendant knows not to go there, but goes there on a regular basis.”

A senior member of the Rotherham Interchange team said in a statement read to the court that staff had the right to work in peace.

He added staff had known Ralph for around two years and he had been behaving in an anti-social way at a time when the station was undergoing major refurbishment and workers were already stretched.

The staff member said Ralph had been seen shouting, smoking, drinking and being verbally abusive at the station.

Mitigating, Mr Richard Adams said Ralph’s actions could best be described as “an irritation”.

“It’s almost cocking the snook at the [court] order and the police,” he said.

“On many occasions he is passing through and taking a bus — it’s almost revelling in the defiance.

“It seems immature.”

 

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