A man was jailed at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, July 21, in connection with an incident in St Albans.
Mohammed Khan, aged 25, from Mayes Road in Wood Green, was sentenced to 10 weeks imprisonment after pleading guilty to a charge of harassment without violence.
Police received several calls between Wednesday, July 6 and Thursday, July 7, reporting that a man had been approaching children with families, trying to engage them in conversation.
During one incident, he repeatedly followed a man carrying his young child around the city centre, asking several questions for 25 minutes.
Following this, there was a further incident in Victoria Park on 7 July, where it was reported that Khan had entered a play area and stood next to a child playing in a sandpit, officers attended and he was arrested, before later being charged.
As well as the jail sentence, Khan was also given a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which sets out strict conditions he must abide by, including not to enter or remain in sight of any public parks, children’s play area, children’s swimming area or any area predominantly used for children’s activities and not to speak to any children.
If he breaches the order, he can be arrested.
Detective Constable Adam Haines, from the St Albans Local Crime Unit, led the case. He said: “Khan’s behaviour caused a great deal of concern among the local community and officers worked quickly to make an arrest and investigate the circumstances around what had happened. I want to thank all those who did exactly the right thing by contacting police straight away to report their concerns.
“Thankfully it was determined that no kidnap attempts were made, but the behaviour was still extremely inappropriate and caused a great deal of distress.
“We’re pleased that we were able to secure a jail sentence and that a CBO has also been granted.”
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