Reading Magistrates’ Court: Criminal Behaviour Order bans man from shops in Newbury and Thatcham

A MAN who threatened to machete a woman has been handed a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

Under its terms Jacob Oakley is prohibited from entering the Co-op stores on The Broadway and in Station Road in Thatcham, Sainsbury’s in Thatcham and Newbury stores Tesco Extra and Tesco Superstore.

He is also prohibited from remaining in any retail establishment in West Berkshire, including charity shops, if requested to leave by staff.

On Wednesday, May 24, the 21-year-old, of St John’s Road, Newbury, was also convicted of terrorising a woman by threatening to stab her.

Helen Gambrill, prosecuting, said Mr Oakley told a woman named Ellie Petts: “I’m going to stab you with a machete.”

Ms Gambrill added: “Ms Petts worked somewhere where a staff member had had a relationship with Mr Oakley.

“She asked colleagues to walk her to safety; he rode past again on a scooter and said: ‘I’m going to shank you.’

“Witnesses heard him say he had a knife in his pocket.”

Ms Petts worked at a nursery, the court heard, and was afraid for the children there.

On another occasion,said Ms Gambrill, Mr Oakley assaulted a Adam Jardine, a member of staff at the Co-op in the Burdwood centre in Thatcham.

Mr Oakley denied using threatening words or behaviour towards Ms Petts on July 20 last year but was convicted following a trial.

He initially denied assaulting Mr Jardine by beating him on August 16, 2021, but changed his plea to guilty on the day the trial was scheduled.

Mr Oakley, who also has previous convictions, repeatedly interrupted proceedings and Robert Jaques, defending, said his client was “screaming out” for psychiatric intervention.

Unfortunately he would not co-operate with the mental health team, added Mr Jaques.

He explained that his client “struggles with life, generally,” and quickly became confrontrational, lacking the social skills to de-escalate.

Police had asked for a three-year CBO but Mr Jaques urged magistrates not to make it that long.

He said: “Mr Oakley has been diagnosed with autism and he presents with those symptoms.”

As well as imposing the two-year CBO, magistrates made Mr Oakley subject to an 18-month community penalty with an eight week curfew requirement between midnight and 6am.

In addition, Mr Oakley was ordered to pay £150 costs, plus a statutory victim services surcharge.