Bangor mayor offers to pay man's fine for begging under 'nonsense Victorian law'

The mayor of Bangor has offered to pay the fine and court costs handed to a man who was convicted of begging in the city.This week, Eric McCann was fined under the Vagrancy Act of 1824 by Caernarfon Magistrates after asking for “spare change” outside Marks & Spencer in Bangor city centre.Mayor Owen J Hurcum has now offered to pay McCann’s fine, writing on Twitter: “If anyone knows Eric McCann let me know as I’ll more than happily cover the £335 he was charged for just trying to get tea.”McCann, of North Road, Caernarfon, was ordered to pay a £50 fine in addition to £250 for costs and a £35 victim surcharge.

The mayor said: "A law that criminalises asking for spare change so one can have a cup of tea smacks of Victorian ‘deserving and undeserving poor’ nonsense."And that’s because it is a nonsense Victorian law that was ridiculous then and is ridiculous now.”McCann was found guilty of "placing yourself in a public place, street, highway, court or passage namely Garth Road to beg or gather alms” under the 1824 Vagrancy Act and the Criminal Justice Act 1982.In the hearing at Caernarfon Magistrates Court, prosecutor Nicola Williams said Marks & Spencer staff reported that a man would sit outside the shop drinking alcohol and that elderly customers were "fearful" of him when he asked them for change.The prosecutor said McCann denied begging and told the PCSO: "I just want a cup of tea.”

The 23-year-old mayor has urged lawmakers to consider what place a 200-year-old law has in modern society."I hope any lawmakers who read this story seriously think about removing these ridiculous laws from the books," they said."The time and resources that went into prosecuting and enforcing laws like this should be diverted into community projects that actually help, such as food share schemes, shelters, and free clothing."A society that doesn’t look after its most vulnerable is not a society, it is a crime.”

Earlier this year Owen Hurum was elected the youngest mayor in Welsh history and the first openly non-binary mayor of any city.

Working as the Mayor of Bangor is an unpaid job so Owen earns money by pulling pints alongside their mayoral duties.