A PROFESSIONAL beggar raked in up to £23,400 a year tax-free while on benefits, a Lincoln court heard.

Daniel Terry, 31, of Clarendon View, Lincoln, became the third man to appear before magistrates after being targeted during Lincolnshire Police's anti-vagrancy campaign Operation Woodpecker.

Mark Holmes, prosecuting, told the court that while Terry was charged with just one count of begging, at Brayford Wharf North on August 11, he had been repeatedly warned about similar matters.

He said: "There is an aggravating feature in that he had been begging for a significant period of time, about a year.

"He was given various warnings and notices about being in that area around the cinema and begging, but it did not make one iota of difference.

"When stopped, he had a scruffy sleeping bag and blanket to give the impression he was homeless.

"During interview, Terry said he can make £40, or possibly £50, begging on a week day and £100 on a Saturday of Sunday.

"But he was not begging because he had nowhere to live or no money, he has a home and is receiving benefits.

"Terry has a long history of offending. He has 46 previous offences and 22 convictions. It's absolutely disgraceful behaviour."

Only last week, fellow beggar Robert Reid received a 12-month conditional discharge after being caught begging on two occasions.

Dressed in a black, fleece-lined Helly Hansen jacket, dark trousers and white trainers, Terry admitted one count of begging and was warned by the clerk of the court that while section 3 of the Vagrancy Act 1824 no longer gives magistrates the right to imprison beggars, he could face a fine of up to £1,000.

In mitigation, Terry, defending himself, said he did not have a permanent address of his own.

He said: "The only thing I'd like to say is on the matter of having somewhere to live is it's not my address, it's a friend's address.

"It's a 'care of' address and I only live there three nights a week. I stay with other friends the other days.

"I don't have my own permanent address."

Handing down the sentence, and telling Terry to take his hands out of his pockets, the presiding magistrate told him his situation was becoming serious and he should "think about his behaviour on the streets".

He said: "For this offence we are fining you £100, asking you to contribute £25 towards the costs of proceedings and making you liable for the £15 government surcharge.

"If you are brought back before the court for this or any other crime in the foreseeable future, it is likely you will be fined more because you will be aggravating already aggravated circumstances."