YEOVIL NEWS: Yarlington gets tough with nuisance drug-user

A NUISANCE drug-user has been sent to prison for terrorising residents of sheltered housing schemes in Yeovil - thanks to the vigilance and work of Yarlington Housing Group.

Yarlington took out an injunction order against Kimberley Spencer, age 29, of no fixed abode, in December 2013 as she was frequenting properties on the landlord’s sheltered housing scheme in Chatsworth Road, Yeovil.

Her behaviour included repeated knocking on the doors of vulnerable tenants, asking for money and other items to fund her drug habit. When refused, she would scream cry and shout causing great distress to the residents.

The injunction order had to be varied to cover Monmouth Road as Miss Spencer soon turned her attentions to an address there. After multiple breaches of the injunction, Yarlington returned to court to ask that Miss Spencer be committed to prison.

At a hearing, Miss Spencer admitted to the majority of the breaches and the case was adjourned for a psychiatric report. During this adjournment period, Miss Spencer returned to Monmouth Road and began hammering on one of the doors, screaming to be let in and threatening to kill the occupant before urinating in the garden.

On September 10 at a hearing at the Yeovil Magistrates Court, Miss Spencer admitted to the further breaches of the injunction, blaming heavy drug use for her behaviour and was sentenced to a 6 month immediate custodial sentence.

Rachel Napper, of Yarlington’s community safety team who handled the case, said that even though Miss Spencer was not a Yarlington tenant, action was still taken against her to stop her from terrorising our vulnerable residents.

She added “I am very pleased with the sentence passed and I hope it sends a strong message that we will take a zero tolerance approach to this type of behaviour

“This would not have been achievable if it had not been for the fantastic support from the Police who assisted throughout and members of the community and Yarlington staff who provided statements.”

A police spokesman added: “This is the first custodial sentence that Yarlington Housing have been successful in obtaining following their partnership working with Avon and Somerset Police.

“It sends out a strong message to protagonists that the police and housing authorities will not stand for any form of anti-social behaviour and will act positively to prevent it from happening.

“Those that commit offences can expect to receive strong sanctions that can be dealt with within the courts and as we have seen in this case custodial sentences are a possibility.”

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