Criminal who dressed as The Joker jailed and banned from city centre

A homeless man who embarked on a crime spree dressed as The Joker has been jailed and banned from a city centre.
PIC: PAPIC: PA
PIC: PA

Damien Hammond wore clothes and make-up to look like the Batman villain to strike fear into shop staff and members of the public, Nottinghamshire Police said.

The 29-year-old, who has been jailed for 22 weeks and banned from the city centre for three years, engaged in disorderly behaviour over the course of two months in Nottingham.

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The latest string of offences included disorderly behaviour, obstructing police and unlawful possession of cannabis, the force said.

They followed offences of theft, possession of an offensive weapon and indecent exposure earlier this year for which he had received a suspended sentence, police said.

Community protection enforcement officer Jeff Surgay said in a report to Nottingham Magistrates’ Court: “The defendant’s criminal conduct involving intimidating retail staff and disorderly conduct towards police officers, in one case striking an officer to the forehead whilst obstructing a drugs search, has been conducted over a prolonged period of time.

“That, together with him altering his appearance to resemble ‘The Joker’ appears to be calculated to induce fear into members of the public and retail staff in the city centre.”

Hammond, of no fixed address, was handed a Criminal Behaviour Order banning him from entering the city centre, except for attending at court or appointments with his support worker.