A MAN subject to a five-year Criminal Behaviour Order which means he cannot enter Chester city centre has admitted entering the exclusion zone.

But William Watton-Roberts, 27, was just 50 metres inside the area on Canal Street and was not displaying any criminal behaviour.

Magistrates at Chester Magistrates Court on Tuesday, July 17 chose not to activate a 12-week suspended sentence Watton-Roberts had and fined him instead.

The court heard Watton-Roberts had been made the subject of the CBO on May 23 following a number of offences committed in the city and was not to enter Chester city centre, apart from small areas such as the magistrates and crown courts, and on Northgate Street where he could collect medication.

Police saw him on Canal Street on Monday, July 16, stopped him, and Watton-Roberts said he thought he was allowed to go on that street.

Defending, Richard Thomas said Watton-Roberts had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and had admitted being in the zone when questioned by police.

He accepted he had just dropped into the zone by 50 metres, but his behaviour was not disorderly.

"You could not get a less serious breach of the CBO," Mr Thomas added.

Watton-Roberts was making progress and, after staying with his mum at Henley Road, Lache, he had stopped taking the drug spice.

A probation report said Watton-Roberts had been complying with the service up until he had fallen out with his mum on July 9, and since then his attendance at appointments had been sporadic, but he had said he was going to move back in with his mum again.

Probation added it would be "unjust" to activate the suspended sentence for this offence.

Magistrates said to Watton-Roberts: "In these particular circumstances, you only just contravened the exclusion area, but you have to be careful not to breach it again."

Watton-Roberts was fined a total of £80, plus a victim surcharge of £30. No court costs were imposed.