Maybe Not All ASBOs Are Worthless…

A couple whose screaming rows kept their neighbours awake all night could face jail for arguing.

Residents in Gipsyville…

SNORK!

… complained to police after a series of heated arguments between Kenneth Burton and his partner Victoria Williamson.

Both Burton, 30, and Williamson, 33, have now been given antisocial behaviour orders (Asbos) banning them from swearing and using abusive language.

I’m usually scathing about ASBOs, but in this case, it seems they didn’t have many other options:

PCSO Sharon Fieldsend, who applied for the order, said: “They were arguing in the street, shouting and swearing and were sometimes abusive towards other people often while they were in drink.

“They would be shouting and bawling all night long.

“I attended a few calls and noticed it was having a detrimental effect on the quality of life of the residents.

“It particularly affected one of the neighbours. Sometimes, he had to come home from work because he was so exhausted after being unable to sleep because they were arguing until the early hours.

“He was at the end of his tether, which is why we had to do something.”

So, you might ask, why weren’t they arrested?

When they were arrested on suspicion of assault, both refused to press charges, claiming they love each other.

Ah. Of course.

Forget all that nonsense about ‘We will prosecute even if the woman won’t press charges’ nonsense. Forget about ‘public order offences’ too, it seems:

PCSO Fieldsend said: “The problems start when they go to each other’s houses because they fall out all the time. I felt applying for an Asbo would be the appropriate way to support the community.

“Often, when there is a domestic issue, there is not much we can do about it unless they will press charges.

“They did fight in the street and would get arrested, but would never want to prosecute each other. They would just say they love each other, so this was the only route we felt we could go down to help the residents.”

Sometimes, there really is no other option. But I thought, in this country, it was the CPS that prosecuted people?