A man has been fined by the courts for begging in Oldham town centre.

Luke Heney, of Henshaw Street, Oldham, was outside the Sainsbury's on Union Street on February 14 earlier this year when he was found to be begging.

The 43-year-old never entered a plea but the Crown Prosecution Service applied to prove the case in his absence.

At Tameside Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, September 10, Heney was found guilty in his absence and was sentenced.

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He received a fine of £220 and was made to pay a victim surcharge of £88 and court costs of £85, bringing his total costs to £393.

Begging in England is a criminal offence under both section three of the Vagrancy Act 1824 and section 70 of the Criminal Justice Act 1982.