An occupant of one of Cornwall Council’s pods for the homeless assaulted two women paramedics and two police officers while they were trying to work. 

Scott Hanlon, 26, of The Pods, Rosewarne Road, Camborne, appeared at Truro Magistrates Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to four counts of common assault of an emergency worker and one of criminal damage to property for damaging a police van.

Magistrates heard that Hanlon assaulted paramedics Michelle Hill and Clare Penberthy in Tyack’s Hotel Car Park, Camborne on May 22 as they carried out their work.

He also assaulted PCSO Clare Matthews in the same car park and then PC Wardman at Camborne Police Station on the same date.

Hanlon was given a 12 week suspended sentence for each offence suspended for two years. In total he was given 48 weeks in prison. He was also ordered to pay each emergency worker £100 in compensation.

For causing criminal damage to the police van in South Terrace, Camborne he was ordered to pay £77 in compensation.

He was also ordered pay cost of £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Recently Cornwall Council aid there is no evidence to suggest that anti-social behaviour in Camborne is linked to the residents at the pods for the homeless in Rosewarne car park.

The response came as a petition to get the pods removed claiming the occupants were the source of anti-social behaviour in the town.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said the site is managed 24 hours per day 7 days per week and residents are risk assessed before moving into the accommodation and receive support with moving on from homelessness into long term homes.

They said they sign terms and conditions including acceptable behaviours both on the site and the wider area.

But the instigator of the petition,  Samantha Hussey a resident of Camborne, putting the pods for the homeless in the car park had significantly impacted the sense of security, discouraging people from visiting the town centre due to fear.