A total of 15 litter louts and fly-tippers were punished in court yesterday as part of the latest round of Don’t Mess With Croydon prosecutions.
Offences ranged from dropping cigarettes to dumping rubbish in the street.
Thirteen of the defendants were issued with fines, while the other two were given conditional discharges at Croydon Magistrates’ Court.
The council’s Don’t Mess With Croydon campaign aims to tackle fly-tipping and littering, and ensure the borough’s streets remain clean and tidy.
The list of offenders includes:-
• Marc Frasier Bourne, aged 26, of Coniston Road, Croydon, pleaded guilty to leaving a large fly-tip in the same road, and fined £100. He was also ordered to pay £250 court costs.
• Agneiska Brooks, aged 32, of Winterbourne Road, Thornton Heath, pleaded guilty to fly-tipping three black plastic bags, and given a £85 fine. Brooks was also ordered to pay £200 court costs
• Anna Ball, aged 24, of Godstone Road, Caterham was found guilty of dropping a cigarette in North End, Croydon, and fined £100. She was also ordered to pay £250 court costs.
• Hayley Bashford, of Central Parade, New Addington, was found guilty of leaving a black refuse sack on the pavement in Central Parade, and fined £110. She was also ordered to pay £300 court costs.
• Burchell Bernard, aged 52, of Shrublands Avenue, Croydon, was found guilty of dumping cardboard packaging on a grass verge in the same road, and fined £120, and ordered to pay £300 court costs
• Charles Burrows, aged 31, of Rothesay Road, Selhurst, was found guilty of dropping a cigarette in North End, Croydon and given a £85 fine. He was also ordered to pay £210 court costs
• Samii Draper, aged 22, of Wimshurst Close, Croydon, was found guilty of dumping a cardboard box by provided bins, and fined £110. Draper was also ordered to pay £300 court costs.
• Declan Fontaine, of Central Parade, New Addington, was found guilty of dumping food and shop waste on the pavement in the same road and fined £180. He was also ordered to pay £330 court costs.
• Catherine Geraghty, aged 31, of Halesowen Road, Morden, was found guilty of dropping a cigarette in North End and given a £100 fine, ordered to pay £235 court costs.
• Alicja Golab, aged 31, of The Coppins, New Addington, pleaded guilty to leaving furniture and cardboard waste on a verge, and was given a conditional discharge for six months.
• David Haines, aged 49, of Lorne Gardens, Croydon, pleaded guilty to dropping a cigarette in North End and fined £85 and ordered to pay £210 court costs.
• Lee Kupperblatt, aged 27, of Meadowside, New Eltham, was found guilty of dropping a cigarette in North End, Croydon and fined £110 fine. He was also ordered to pay £250 court costs.
• Hanna Maameri, aged 50, of Fouracre Path, Selhurst, was found guilty of dropping a cigarette in North End and fined £110, ordered to pay £250 court costs.
• Sandra Stephenson, of Eden Road, West Norwood, pleaded guilty to dropping a cigarette in North End. She was given a three month conditional discharge, and ordered to pay £150 court costs.
• Emma Fields and Wayne Alexander, of Central Parade, New Addington, were both found guilty of two separate offences of dumping household waste on a pavement. Fields was fined £150, Alexander £120. They were each ordered to pay £330 court costs.
“These 15 cases show that whether it’s dropping a cigarette butt or dumping bags of rubbish in the street, we will take action and see that offenders are punished in the courts.
“Our Don’t Mess With Croydon campaign is about changing attitudes, it is not acceptable to be selfish and mess up your neighbours’ streets. These prosecutions serve as a deterrent to those who think they can litter or fly-tip and get away with it.
“The warning message is quite simple – drop litter in Croydon and face a criminal record.”
Councillor Stuart Collins, deputy leader – Clean Green Croydon
Since launching the Don’t Mess campaign in summer 2014, the council has issued more than 800 fixed penalty notices and prosecuted fly-tippers through the courts, including a man jailed for six months in May for dumping 42 tonnes of waste in Waddon.
You can report fly-tipping by calling our dedicated fly-tipping hotline on 020 8604 7000 or email flytip@croydon.gov.uk. You can also report a problem via our My Croydon smartphone app.
For more information about the campaign, visit: www.croydon.gov.uk/dontmess
