Derbyshire man who inscribed racist symbols on cars sentenced after breaching Criminal Behaviour Order

Brett Brentnall, of Nottingham Road, Alfreton, inscribed racially aggravated symbols onto the bodywork of two cars and caused damage to several others between September and October last year.

In doing so, the 51-year-old breached the conditions of his CBO, which was issued in April 2023, which states that he ‘must not cause damage’.

A CBO can be issued by any criminal court against a person who has been convicted of an offence. It can be used to tackle the most persistently anti-social individuals who are also engaged in criminal activity. Should a person breach the conditions of their order they can be arrested.

Brentnall also attempted to cause damage to a business on Alfreton High Street, by kicking the doors and attempted to gain entry to a vehicle causing its alarm to sound.

He then failed to appear at a court hearing in relation to the above offences, on 8 February 2024 and a court warrant was issued for his arrest.

Officers arrested Brentnall on 9 February and he was brought before Magistrates, where he admitted causing racially aggravated damage and breaching his CBO.

He received a sentence of 26 weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years and must complete 20 rehabilitation days which aim to reduce further offending.

Sergeant James Bowler of Alfreton Safer Neighbourhood Team said: “Mr Brentnall’s repeated acts of anti-social behaviour have blighted the local community for some time, and we have worked hard as a team to secure a CBO against him last spring.

“Unfortunately, Mr Brentnall has continued to offend and place himself in breach of this order which allowed us to have him put before the courts earlier this month.

“Whilst I appreciate that there will be some dissatisfaction with the sentence imposed by the court, I’d like to offer reassurance that our officers will continue to do everything in our power to enforce the conditions of the CBO and ensure that any future breaches are dealt with robustly.

“We rely on the local community to support us in enforcing the conditions of CBOs and as such urge anyone who witnesses nuisance or criminal behaviour to report it to us.”