Man jailed after being found with Sharpie marker pens in his pocket

A convicted vandal banned from carrying wet paints or marker pens has been jailed for 18 weeks after he was caught carrying two Sharpies in public.

Lloyd Griffiths was searched by police on Monday afternoon after he was reported for making inappropriate comments to women at a McDonalds in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.

Officers found a small amount of cannabis, along with two Sharpie marker pens, one of which was tucked in his waistband.

This was in breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) imposed on him in 2019 after he was convicted for causing "prolific" criminal damage across the city centre.

The five-year order banned him from carry marker pens, wet paints, or any other material to cause criminal damage within a public place.

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Griffiths claimed he had been given the Sharpies by a friend earlier in the day and had no intention of using them to deface a public place.

However, on Tuesday, Griffiths, from, Uppingham, Oakham, was jailed at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court, after pleading guilty to breaching a CBO and possession of a class B drug in public.

PC Luke Cooke said: “Griffiths was handed this CBO after causing prolific criminal damage in public places across the city centre, which resulted in disruption to local businesses in the area, and upset many members of the local community.

“I hope this result shows how seriously the courts take a breach of a Criminal Behaviour Order.”