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Wayne Rose

IT'S not a sentence I've often had cause to write, but Wayne Rose has managed to give beggars a bad name.

For those who missed it, Crying Boy, as he is best known, was given another Asbo this week which stops him from begging, and indeed from borrowing money off anyone in Swindon who is not a friend, family member or social worker.

It's the second time Rose, pictured, has been given one of these orders, and if our website forums are anything to go by, he's virtually public enemy No 1 in Swindon.

At this point it's important to add that while the Adver has had him on the front page on a couple of occasions recently, the main reason why people dislike him so much is that he has tried to beg from them. It seems almost everyone has a Crying Boy story to tell, whether they fell for him, or saw through him.

In case you're unaware of his modus operandi, what happens is this. He'll walk up to you - or in some cases go past you and then call your attention - and launch into a conversation. He'll often kick off: "Do you know Swindon?" and then explain about the elderly aunt in Reading/abusive stepfather in Swindon/love of trainspotting (okay, maybe not the last one) that means he needs money for a train ticket, while breaking down in tears. Then he'll sting you for a tenner.

He's good. As someone who's seen him action a couple of times - although never parted with any money - he, like a Tiny Tears doll, genuinely weeps.

But what makes me and other people angry is that he will con the elderly, the sympathetic, and the upset into parting with money.

They will then, when they find out he is not actually trying to get to Reading, feel cheated, and will quite understandably feel less disposed to those in genuine hardship.

Do not forget that when Rose appeared in court this week his address was not given as "no fixed abode", but in fact was Hunters Grove, Rodbourne. He has a roof over his head.

And here's a thought. People say Asbos don't work, but Rose went very quiet for a long time while he had his Asbo.

In fact, a friend and I were walking along Prospect Place on April 15 this year, when Crying Boy came up to us. We didn't recognise him at first.

The next day I looked him up. It turned out Rose's last Asbo was given for two years on April 14, 2005, and so he no longer faced prison if he was caught begging. I don't think that's a coincidence.

If he can turn it off and on so instantaneously he's not begging out of need, he's begging because he's good at it. For that reason alone, he deserves all he gets, and if he's got half a mind he'll keep a low profile for the foreseeable future.

10:40am Friday 16th November 2007

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