Beggar who had more than £500 cash on him when he was arrested in Manchester city centre is fined £250
- Ludovic Gabor, 57, arrested in Deansgate over Christmas and found with £515.87
- Gabor, of Gorton, was fined £250 with £85 costs after pleading guilty to begging
- The legislation dates back almost 200 years and has now become controversial
A beggar who was found with more than £500 in cash when he was arrested by police in Manchester city centre has been fined £250.
Ludovic Gabor, 57, was arrested in Deansgate over the Christmas period and found with £515.87 in coins and notes, a paper cup and an empty crisp packet.
Gabor, of Gorton, east Manchester, was fined £250 with £85 costs after pleading guilty to begging and a breach of a conditional discharge.
Ludovic Gabor, 57, was arrested over the Christmas period and found with £515.87 in coins and notes, a paper cup and an empty crisp packet (pictured in an undated police photo)
The offence of begging dates back almost 200 years to the Vagrancy Act of 1824.
That piece of legislation, which also makes rough sleeping an offence, was described as An Act for the Punishment of idle and disorderly Persons, and Rogues and Vagabonds, in England.
It has been repealed by Northern Ireland and Scotland but remains in force in England and Wales.
The wording of the charge makes reference to a defendant having positioned themselves ‘in a public place, street, highway, court or passage, to beg’.
The laws contained in the Vagrancy Act remain controversial, with many calling for it to be scrapped entirely.
Greater Manchester Police said: ‘A total of £515.87 was found in possession of a man who was arrested for begging on Deansgate over the Christmas period.
‘Ludovic Gabor, 57, of Gorton, pleaded guilty to begging on a subsequent occasion and breach of condition discharge and was fined £250 with £85 costs.’
Gabor, of Gorton, east Manchester, was fined £250 with £85 costs after pleading guilty to begging on Deansgate (pictured in a general view)