A prolific offender who repeatedly breached an order banning him from parts of Worthing town centre has been jailed after admitting 46 offences committed over a five-month period. Matthew Greenaway, 41, of Clifton Road, Worthing, was repeatedly found intoxicated in the town centre and was involved in incidents including shop thefts, assaults, exposure and abusive behaviour towards members of the public and emergency workers. His offending included multiple assaults on police officers, with Greenaway spitting at officers and, during one incident, attempting to kick an officer in the throat. Greenaway appeared at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on September 16, where he was sentenced to one year in prison.
46 offences committed between April and August
The offences, committed between April and August this year, included 15 shop thefts and 10 assaults on police officers. Greenaway also admitted four assaults, including two involving ambulance workers, possession of a knife in a public place, exposure and two offences of being drunk and disorderly. Seven of his offences involved breaching a Community Protection Notice. The CPN had been issued to Greenaway in January and prohibited him from being intoxicated in Worthing town centre as well as preventing him from entering a designated area. Despite the restrictions, Greenaway repeatedly breached the notice.
Paramedics threatened after finding Greenaway unconscious
On August 2, two paramedics were called after Greenaway was discovered unconscious on the floor. When he regained consciousness, he clenched his fist and threatened the ambulance workers. Another serious incident happened on June 13 when Greenaway was arrested for exposure. During his arrest, he shouted homophobic abuse at one police officer before attempting to kick another officer in the throat. A week later, on June 20, Greenaway attempted to headbutt and bite police officers and spat at them. Officers used PAVA spray to safely detain him after he was arrested on suspicion of shop thefts and possession of a knife in a public place.
‘Repeated abusive and appalling behaviour’
Following the sentencing, Superintendent Andrew Saville said Greenaway’s imprisonment would come as a relief to residents, businesses, visitors and emergency workers who had been affected by his behaviour. He said: “Greenaway’s repeated abusive and appalling behaviour while intoxicated in the town centre was simply not acceptable and will not be tolerated. “We continue to work hard alongside partner agencies and businesses to identify prolific offenders and keep the community in Worthing safe. “We also encourage anyone impacted by shop thefts and anti-social behaviour to report incidents to us, to help us build a clear picture of crimes being committed to allow us to target resources and take action where we need to.” Greenaway will now serve a one-year prison sentence following his appearance at Crawley Magistrates’ Court.
