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Civil injunction granted following Gloucester City Council action on anti-social behaviour

Published
Gloucester City Council have successfully applied for a Civil Injunction through their City Centre Engagement service for 45-year-old Afzul Veshmia of Russell Street, Gloucester. 
  • A Civil Injunction has banned a local man from Gloucester City Centre due to his actions affecting public wellbeing. 
  • Afzul Veshmia regularly caused distress to women and young girls with his problematic behaviour. 
  • The application was made through the council’s new City Centre Engagement Service aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour. 

Afzul Veshmia, a British national, has been given the injunction banning him from substantial areas of Gloucester City due to his high levels of anti-social behaviour impacting on members of the public as they went about their daily lives. Afzul Veshmia regularly targeted women and young girls leaving them fearful and distressed for their safety.  

Morag Gordon, Engagement Officer at Gloucester City Council, said: “This civil injunction sends out a clear message that anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated in the City of Gloucester. Any acts of intimidation, verbal abuse or threats of violence will be robustly dealt with. Thanks to the courage of this man's victims providing me with evidence of his behaviours, they have enabled us to successfully apply for the injunction”. 

Inspector James O’Neill, from Gloucester’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Veshmia has repeatedly displayed behaviour that can be intimidating in its manner and which has caused a great deal of concern among the wider public. This injunction gives us the power to manage his behaviour by responding to any reports of breaches. Since it was served, we have arrested Veshmia twice for breaches of the ASBI, showing that it has been effective in dealing with his ongoing behaviour. People in our communities have the right to live and work without fear of intimidation and we will continue to ensure that individuals like Veshmia who act in this way are dealt with appropriately.” 

The court ordered that: “The Defendant, Mr Afzul Veshmia is forbidden (whether by himself or by instructing or encouraging or permitting any other person) from: 

1.   Engaging in conduct that causes or is capable of causing alarm or harassment or distress to any person within the City of Gloucester  

2.    Using or threatening to use violence towards any person within the City of Gloucester  

3.   Being in possession of any large tree branches, or other large objects which could be used as a weapon  

4.   Setting fires in any public place within the City of Gloucester  

5.   Entering or being in Hillfield Gardens or be within ‘The Kings Board’  

6.    Entering or being in the area highlighted in orange on the attached map at any time” 

The Court further ordered that “A power of arrest is attached to ALL Paragraphs of this order whereby any Constable may, under the power given in s.4 ASB Crime & Policing Act 2014, arrest without warrant the Defendant if the Constable has reasonable cause for suspecting that the Defendant is in breach of this order. 

This order and power of arrest shall remain in force until 18th May 2027 at 4.00 p.m. unless before then it is revoked by a further order of the court”.