Wolverhampton man charged for breaching new type of court order - after being convicted of machete possession
A Wolverhampton man has appeared in court accused of breaching a Serious Violence Reduction Order (SVRO).
Stefan Brain, from Wolverhampton, was given the one-year order after being convicted of possessing a machete in a public place in March this year.
An SVRO is a civil order that can be placed on someone who has been convicted of an offence that involved a bladed item or offensive weapon.
Someone who has an SVRO can be stopped in public spaces by police and searched to find out if they’re carrying a weapon.
A requirement of 26-year-old Brain’s order was to attend a police station in person to notify his name and address formally within three days of being given the order, which has not been done.
On Friday Brain was arrested for a separate offence for which he has been bailed, but charged with breaching the SVRO.
He appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on Saturday where the SVRO was re-issued for a further 12 months.
These orders are intended to deter offenders from carrying weapons as there is a greater likelihood of being caught and brought to justice.
SVROs are being piloted by West Midlands Police along with Merseyside, Thames Valley and Sussex police forces before a decision is made on roll out across England and Wales.
