Two men have been banned from Stratford town centre for a total of 12 years in a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.
Ali Hayder, of Ham Park Road, Stratford, was arrested after trying to sneak out with £100 worth of booze from the Stratford Centre’s Sainsbury’s supermarket on September 8 – a week after avoiding jail for two more shoplifting offences.
On the same day in a separate incident Lee Rivvers, of Terront Road, West Green, threatened to attack a Newham Council enforcement officer outside a KFC in Stratford Broadway after he issued him with a fine for drinking alcohol in public.
Police showed up and arrested him after he made more threats in a drunken rage against the officer.
The pair were sentenced at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Monday (October 1).
Det Supt Zena Marshall said: “In pursuing their selfish and reckless acts, Hayder and Rivvers showed no regard for the suffering they inflicted on their victims.”
Hayder pleaded guilty to theft. He was banned from entering Stratford Shopping Centre, The Broadway, Great Eastern Road and Westfield until September 2026 after the court agreed with police that he posed a risk of reoffending. He had a reputation for being aggressive towards shopkeepers and violent towards officers, police said.
He was also banned from keeping wire cutters, a screw driver, spanners and foil.
The 34-year-old was ordered to complete four months of drug and alcohol rehab.
Rivvers was banned from entering Stratford until October 2022 and from drinking alcohol outside a pub, bar or restaurant after he pleaded guilty to a public order offence.
The 44-year-old was ordered to attend six weeks of rehabilitation.
Det Supt Marshall said: “I would like to assure business owners and the community that we remain determined to tackle crime as we work to make Newham a safe place for everyone.”
She added officers would use all legal measures to ban people from the places where they commit their crimes.
“Abusive or threatening behaviour towards those who work tirelessly to maintain a safer Newham will simply not be tolerated,” Det Supt Marshall said.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here