Nearly 70 people have been banned from Lincoln’s Library over the past five years while offences in public buildings elsewhere in Greater Lincolnshire include urinating and defecating.
A total of 136 people have been banned from libraries and leisure centres over the past five years in the county.
The figures were obtained following a Freedom of Information request to authorities and service providers across Greater Lincolnshire.
The figures show 83 people have been banned from Lincolnshire’s Libraries – which are managed by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), while 53 have been barred from leisure centres.
A number of leisure facilities across Greater Lincolnshire are contracted out on behalf of councils, for example North East Lincolnshire’s are run by Lincs Inspire and South Kesteven’s centres are managed by 1Life.
Lincoln Library tops banning numbers
Nearly 70 people have been banned from Lincoln Library for anti-social behaviour over the past five years.
Since 2015, Lincoln Library has barred 67 people from its premises following antisocial or criminal behaviour.
The figure is almost 10 times that of second-highest Boston library which has barred seven people over the past five years.
The highest number of bans was handed out in 2015/16 when 22 people were barred, however, so far in 2019/20,just seven people have faced punishment.
Latest figures “extremely low” for city centre library
A spokesperson from GLL said: “Lincoln Library has excluded seven individuals during 2019. That equates to just 0.005% of visitors, an extremely low figure, particularly for a public facility situated in a busy city centre.
“The Library remains a welcoming space for the whole community and anti-social behaviour is dealt with promptly in order to keep it so.”
Across Greater Lincolnshire, 83 people have been banned from libraries over the past five years.
Louth and Horncastle libraries have both barred two each over their behaviour, while Grantham, Spalding, Stamford, Long Sutton and Market Rasen libraries barred just one person each.
Gainsborough, Mablethorpe, Sleaford and Woodhall Spa libraries have not had to take any action.
Two people were banned from Grimsby library for urinating in a public place.
Urinating in a public place leads to North East Lincolnshire bans
North East Lincolnshire’s list of ban reasons include two people last year urinating in a public place – though it does not say if this was inside or outside the library.
The authority has handed out the punishment to a total of 39 people over the past five years, with the majority (19) in Grimsby. In Immingham a total of 14 people have been banned, while Cleethorpes has seen just six.
Most of the reasons are down to disruptive or anti-social behaviour or aggressive and threatening behaviour.
North Lincolnshire has banned three people from its libraries since 2015 including three from Barton-upon-Humber for threats of violence and two in Brigg for “vexatious behaviours”.
Leisure centres see “public affray” and “deposit of excrement”
Facilities across Greater Lincolnshire have banned 53 people from returning following incidents including a “deposit of excrement” left at one centre.
Magna Vitae, which runs centres across East Lindsey District Council, revealed the details were among one of two barrings it has issued.
The incident took place at Meridian Leisure Centre, in Louth, in early 2018. The customer was given the temporary ban as a result of abusive behaviour – including the brown “gift”. It is unclear where the deposit was left.
A customer in Louth left a “deposit of excrement” during one incident.
In late 2018 a temporary ban was also issued by the leisure contractor at Skegness Swimming Pool after a customer failed to heed warnings about inappropriate abusive language being used towards staff and other customers.
Chief Executive Mark Humphreys said he was “pleased to say these incidents are very few and far between”.
“We always take what we deem to be a fair approach to give warnings about unacceptable behaviour before, if it becomes necessary, a ban is issued,” he said.
“We have only ever issued temporary bans.”
Seven people were banned from The Pods, in Scunthorpe, for public affray.
North Lincolnshire stopped seven people from entering The Pods, in 2019 which is run by the authority, after they were involved in”public affray” at the facilities.
The majority of bans across the rest of Lincolnshire are also mainly for people being violent or abusive to colleagues or other customers, with leisure centres in West Lindsey banning three people, Boston Borough two and North Kesteven and South Kesteven just one each.
South Holland’s leisure centres have not had any bans in that time period.
City of Lincoln Council had not responded to the request for information on leisure centres by the time of publication.
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A 20-year-old man has been locked up for three years after starting a fire in care accommodation with a discarded cigarette.
Callum Lilliot, 20, dropped a cigarette on his coat which he then threw onto his bed at his care accommodation in Awdry Drive, Wisbech, at about 10pm on Boxing Day 2021.
Officers initially were called to the property when Lilliot threatened to jump out of a second-floor window, but arrived to find smoke coming from an open window.
An officer began to kick the door down through fears that people were inside, before a carer opened it with a key and police tried to tackle the fire themselves.
The officers were beaten back by smoke and heat, causing two of them to be hospitalised with smoke inhalation. Four residents and carers were evacuated as Lilliot was arrested a short time later.
He claimed the fire had been an accident as temporary accommodation had to be arranged for other residents, but that was not to be the last time that Christmastime he got himself in trouble with the police.
In a further incident on December 29, just three days later, Lilliot rang 999 to say he wanted to hurt staff at Peterborough’s Edith Cavell Centre by burning it down.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of arson with intent to endanger life, arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, and threatening to damage or destroy property, during a hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday, June 29.
Lilliot was sentenced to three years detention in a young offenders institution.
Detective Sergeant Lee Womak, who investigated, said: “Lilliot showed little regard for the safety of others when he decided to deliberately drop his cigarette on his coat and start a fire.
“I don’t need to explain why starting fires is so dangerous and I hope Lilliot will reflect on his actions and consider how tragic the consequences could have been.”
A judge has issued an apology to a Boston man who admitted drug dealing after his sentence hearing was postponed for a second time because of strike action by crown court barristers.
Stacey Housham, 42, has been warned to expect jail after he pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine and heroin to other users.
Housham was due to be sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on June 9, but the hearing could not go-ahead because of protest action by defence barristers.
His case was postponed until July 5, however Judge John Pini QC was again forced to adjourn the sentence hearing after being told Housham’s barrister was unavailable because of strike action.
Housham, who attended the hearing by video-link, will now be sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on July 27.
Judge Pini told Housham: “These are serious matters. I have read the papers and the pre-sentence report in detail.
“Quite plainly your barrister needs to be here before you can be sentenced.
“I am sorry about this. It is something completely out of my control.”
Housham pleaded guilty to four charges concerning Class A drugs when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court in April.
He was due to be sentenced after the preparation of a report by the Probation Service.
A number of other cases at Lincoln Crown Court have been impacted by the nationwide strike action by the Criminal Bar Association. (CBA)
Eight out of 10 barristers voted for the walkouts amid concerns the Government will not improve a proposed increase in criminal Legal Aid.
Housham, who was of no fixed address at the time of his offences, and is formerly of Collingwood Crescent, Boston, admitted possessing both cocaine and heroin with intent to supply others on February 10, 2020.
He also pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin to others between December 6, 2019, and February 11, 2020.
At a previous hearing the court heard Housham is now clean of drugs and has turned his life around.
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