onsunday LUTON January06,2013 Issuenumber:926 www.luton-dunstable.co.uk £1WHERESOLD Advertising feature. Your normal onsunday is inside LUTON II|January6,2013|www.luton-dunstable.co.uk|LUTONONSUNDAY news01582707707|advertising01582700800 Luton Town Aircraft in double Keep up to date with the star in no rush drama at Luton latest news and sport at to move www.luton-dunstable.co.uk Airport onsunday onpage53 onpage3 Jan6,2012 LUTON Issuenumber:926 www.luton-dunstable.co.uk FollowusonTwitter:@LutonOnSunday £1WHERESOLD Body in the river could The local Lib Dems decide not to follow be missing Luton man central orders THEleaderoftheLuton LiberalDemocratsparty hassaidtheywillnot changetheirpolicyin responsetoaleaked memofromtheparty’s headquarters. BYLAURENARCHELL Lastweek,TimSnowball, thedirectorofcommuni- [email protected] cationsfortheLibDems sentaletterurgingmem- POLICEsaythatabodyfoundinthe berstoconsistentlycriti- RiverGreatOuseinBedfordonNew cisetheConservativeand Year’s Day appears to be that of Labourpartiesintheir missingLutonmanFelixYorke. communications. Felix, 25, of Butterworth Path, left Thememotoldmembers workattheTopManbranchinLuton tosaythatLabour‘can’t onNovember30at5pmandhasnot betrustedtomanagethe beenseensince. economy’andthe A passing member of the public Conservatives‘can’tbe spottedthebodyinthewateratThe trustedtobuildafair Embankment,nearthejunctionwith society’. ShaftesburyAvenueanditwasrecov- ButCouncillorFranks, eredduringtheafternoon. whosaidhedidnot Thebodyhasnotyetbeenformally receiveorseethee-mail, identified as detectives are awaiting hassaidtheirpolicywill theresultsofDNAandotherteststo notchange. beabsolutelycertain. Hesaid:“Unlikethe Butclothingandotheritemslocated LabourandToryparties withtheman,wouldstronglysuggest wedonotplaysillyparty thatitisFelix. games. Apostmortemhasnotyetidentified “Irecall,forexample, the cause of his death and further thatwhenthethenLiberal testsarebeingdonetoestablishhow Democratadministration hedied. attheTownHallbuiltthe Felixhadbeenreportedasmissing newStGeorge’sSquare byhisfamilyonDecember1butnone TRIBUTE:FlowersandmessagesleftatthesitewhereabodywaspulledoutoftheRiverGreatOusebythepoliceonTuesday.Itis theLabourleadercriti- oftheenquiriescarriedoutsofarhave believedtobethatofFelixYorkewhoispictured,inset.HewasreportedmissingbyhisfamilyinDecember cised itandsaidshe suggestedwhyhewouldbeinBedford. preferredtheoldone. It’sforthisreasonthatofficershave ductedasixhoursearchoftheRiver His website described him as an found, we are hoping that someone “Shenowthinksthenew takentheunusualstepofindicating GreatOuseinBedfordafterreportsof ‘aspiringhip-hopartist’andincluded will know what he was doing in squareissogoodshehas thenameofthedeadpersonbeforea a‘loudsplash’.Nothingwasfoundand tracks called ‘Never Say Surrender’ Bedfordthatnight. severaltimestriedto formal identification can be done. CCTVshowednoevidenceofanyone and‘GoodbyeForNow’,whichwere “Ifyouhaveinformationaboutwhy claimthecreditfor Theyhopethatlightcanbeshedon beinginthewater. uploadedjustdaysbeforehewaslast he may have been in the area then buildingit. hislastmovements. Following his disappearance, seen. pleasegiveusacall. “Wehavenotimefor AtpresentitisknownthatafterFelix friends set up a Twitter campaign Sgt Gavin Conder, who heads the “Youwouldbehelpinghisfamilyin suchhypocriticaldouble left work he caught a train at about using the hashtag ‘FindFelix’, to try Missing Persons Unit, said: achievingsomepeaceofmindabout dealings. 5.30pmfromLutonParkwaystation. and find the whereabouts of the “Understandably, Felix’s family are hislasthours.” “Wheneitherofthe Hismobiletelephonewaslastactive 25-year-old, while a YouTube video desperatetoknowwhathashappened Anyonewhocanhelpwithinforma- otherpartiessayordo atabout7pmthatnight. pleadingforhisreturnwaspublished tohimandassumingtheoutstanding tion should contact Sgt Conder on somethingsensibleweare On the same evening police con- onDecember5. identitychecksproveitishimwehave 01234275137. happytosupportit.” letterson12 jobson40 classifiedon42 propertyon33 motorson46 sporton50 2|January6,2013|www.luton-dunstable.co.uk|LEUTONOmNSUNDAeY rgency calls near news01582707707|advertising01582700800 Young volunteer MaNagiNgDiREcTOR wins award for MikeRichardson [email protected] to doubling over Xmas his fundraising NEWSDESK LSNSeriesEditor:ChrisGill [email protected] AYOUNGvolunteerhasreceivedaNew [email protected] Yearawardinreturnforhiscontinuing dedicationtothecommunity. NewsEditor:LuiStraccia BradleyAdams,16,fromDunstable,has Newsdesk:01582707707 beennamed‘BestYoungVolunteer’inthe Picturedesk:01582706780 BYCARLMUNGAZI EastofEnglandatthevInspiredNational [email protected] [email protected] andvolunteerswhoworkedduring Awards,inrecognitionofhisfundraising thisdifficultshift. effortstohelpalocalgirlwithcancer. NEARLY2,000callsweremade “Whileadownwardtrend,how- Theteenagerisalreadyaseasonedvol- SPORTSDESK duringthenewyearcelebrations, everslight,isgoodnewsanda unteerandhasbeenraisingcashforLilly theEastofEnglandAmbulance signthatperhapspeoplearetak- MacGlashan, who suffers from neuro- Generalsportenquiries ServiceNHSTrust(EEAST)has ingnoteofouradvice,it’sstilla blastoma,sincehewas14-years-old. [email protected] revealed. verybusystarttotheyear. Hewasinspiredbyatalkatschoolabout Sportsdesk:01234406224 EEASTdealtwithatotalof1,970 “Forthosecalling999witha Lilly’sconditionandhassincemadeithis calls–doublethenumberofan genuinemedicalproblembut missiontoraiseasmuchaspossible for aDvERTiSiNg averagenight–atanaverageof whichisn’tanemergencywe hertoreceiveapioneeringtreatmentin morethan164callsanhour. wouldaskthemtotakenoteof America. Commercialmanager: Andwitheachcallcostinginthe ourRightCallmessagewhich Inordertoraisemoney,hehasorgan- JackieBevan regionof£200,around£394,000 explainshowcallsareprioritised, isedandperformedinnumerousbigscale 01582700800 wenttowardsattendingincidents. liketheyareinA&Edepartments, musicalproductions,andintheprocess Althoughthenumbersweremar- toensurethepatientsinmost setuphisowncharityproductioncom- [email protected] ginallydownonthepreviousyear needgethelpfirst. pany,ONITProductions. Advertising:01582700800 whentheservicereceived1,989 “Thosenotinlifethreatening Bradleysaid:“It’ssuchanhonourtobe [email protected] callswithinthesameperiod,they situationsshouldexpecttowait presentedwiththisaward. Itisaconditionofacceptanceofadvertisement representmorethandoublethe longerforanambulanceresponse “You don’t volunteer to get awards – ordersthattheproprietorsofLSNMediado numberofincidentscompared –whichinsomeminorcasesmay knowingyou’rehelpingpeopleisenough notguaranteetheinsertionofaparticular withtheMondayandTuesday betelephoneadvice–depending motivation. advertisementonaspecifieddate,oratall, fourweekspreviously. ontheirneedasassessedusinga “Butit’sgreattoknowthatpeopleappre- althougheveryeffortwillbemadetomeet PeopleinBedfordshiremade206 comprehensivesystembyour ciatewhatIdo,andIhopethatthismight thewishesofadvertisers;furthertheydonot callsbetween7pmonMondayand highlytrainedclinicalcall inspire other young people to give acceptliabilityforanylossordamagecaused 7amonTuesday.Afurther113 handlers. volunteeringago.” byanyerrororinaccuracyintheprintingornon callswerethenmadebetween RUSHEDOFFTHEIRFEET:Twiceas “Wehavededicatedclinicalsup- TerryRyall,vInspiredCEOsaid:“Bradley appearanceofanyadvertisement,andreserve 7pmonTuesdayand7amon manycallsforParamedics portdesksinthecontrolroomsto isacompleteinspiration. therighttoeditordeleteanyobjectionable Wednesday. supportpatientswithminorcon- “He has displayed empathy for others wordingorrejectanyadvertisement.Although EEASTcontrolroomandfrontline helpedwithhospitaladmission ditionsasappropriatelyaspossi- andhasshowngreatabilitytobuildposi- everyadvertisementiscarefullychecked, staffrespondedto893callsand avoidance. blewithouttheneedtosendan tiverelationshipswhilstvolunteering. occasionallymistakesdooccur.Wetherefore whenthefiguresarecomparedto Temporaryminorinjuriesunits ambulance.” “Heshouldbeimmenselyproudofhis askadvertiserstoassistusbychecking thefirstSaturdayinDecember, werealsoused. Neiladdedthatthistimeof achievements.” theiradvertisementscarefullyandadvise whentherewere1,087calls,a Ambulancebosseshaveasked reflectionshouldhopefullyinspire TheannualvInspiredNationalAwards usimmediatelyshouldanerroroccur.We significantriseinnewyear peopletoconsiderlearninghowto peopletolearncardiopulmonary celebratetheachievements ofyoungvol- regretthatwecannotacceptresponsibility demandisevident. savealifeandunderstandinghow resuscitation(CPR). unteersandaimtochallengethenegative formorethanoneincorrectinsertionandthat Theservicealsoboosted theambulanceserviceprioritises Hesaid:“Learningtosavealife attitudestowardsyoungpeople. norepublicationwillbegrantedinthecase resourcestoprepareforthenight andrespondstocalls. canmeanthatifsomeonenear Theregionalwinnerswillbeshortlisted oftypographicalorminorchangeswhichdo withjointinitiativessuchas‘see NeilStory,directorforemergen- youcollapsesandisunconscious, tonationalfinaliststhismonth,withthe notaffectthevalueoftheadvertisement.To andtreat’tentsandSOSbuses cyoperations,said:“Mythanks youractionscouldmakethedif- overall winners revealed at an awards ensureconsistentlyhighservicelevels,callsare operatingintowncentreswhich andpraisegoouttoallourstaff ferencebetweenlifeanddeath.” ceremonyinMarch. randomlymonitoredbyasalesmanager. DiSTRibuTiON newsbriefs 01582390365 [email protected] MANCHARGEDWITHGBH andwillappearbeforeLuton anothermanapproachedthecar bishingworkhasoverrun. Ifyouhaveaqueryregardingthedelivery BedfordshirePolicehave MagistratesCourtonJanuary16. andthreatenedhimwithaknife. Theworkonthepremisesin ofyournewspaperorwouldliketojoin charged a28-year-oldmanwith Thevictimwasthenforcedout GeorgeStreet,Luton,was ourteamasateenageoradultnewspaper GBHfollowinganassaultinthe WOMANTRICKSMANINROBBERY ofthecarandtwomobilephones expectedtotakefiveweeksand deliverercontactourdistributiondepartment WhitehousePubinLuton. Amotoristwasejectedfromhis werestolen. startedinOctober2012. onthetelephonenumberabove. LeonWarner,ofTheLinkin carandrobbedafterbeinglured Anyonewithinformation AspokesmanforMcDonald’s HoughtonRegis,Dunstable,was intoassistingapedestrian. shouldcallBedfordshirePolice said:“Hopefullycustomerswill LEaFLETDiSTRibuTiON chargedbyofficersfromthe The30-year-oldmanwassit- on101. reallynoticethedifferencewhen SouthBedfordshireSerious tinginhiscarinCheapside, were-open,anditwillhavebeen 01582390357 InvestigationTeaminconnec- Luton,onDecember30at7pm MCDONALD’SREFURBGOESON worththewait. mailto:[email protected] tionwithanassaultthathap- whenawomanapproachedhim Abranchoffast-foodchain “Weareinstallinganewkitch- www.mailboxdistribution.co.uk penedonOctober29,2012. askingforhelp.Whenhe wound McDonald’swillremainclosed enandhaveextendedsothat Totargetyourbusinessmessagebyleaflet Warnerwasreleasedonbail downhiswindowtospeaktoher, foranumberofweeksasrefur- thereismoreseating.” withinourdistributionareasthenplease callthetelephonenumberabovefor informationandprices. onsunday LUTON WhERETOFiNDuS 28KingStreet,Luton, BedsLU12DP www.luton-dunstable.co.uk Phone:01582700800 Fax01582700801 Officeopen9am-5.30pmorbyappointment. PublishedandoriginatedbyLSNMediaLimited. PrintedbyCambridgeNewspapers,WinshipRoad, Milton,Cambs,CB46PP.Price£1wheresold TherecycledpaperconTenTofUK newspapersin2011was78.9% Theenvironmentisimportanttous.Luton onSundayisprintedonpaperproduced fromenvironmentallymanagedforests. pleaserecyclethisnewspaper. hereisasimplewayofkeepinguptodatewith events24hoursadayon www.luton-dunstable.co.uk allyouhavetodotouseourQrcodeis downloadaQrreaderapptoyoursmartphone- therearelotsoffreeonesavailableonline.Then scanthecodeandourwebsitewillloadforyou. Tnews0w158270770o7|advertisineg01582a70080s0 yJet dramas LUTONONSUNDAY |www.luton-dunstable.co.uk|January6,2013|3 bring in the new year BYLAURENARCHELL [email protected] DOWN...andupagainasaircraft doesa‘go-around’ TWO dramatic landings were made at LutonAirportinthespaceofthreedays. OneeasyJetpilotwasforcedtomake anabortedlanding,whileanotherchose tomakeadiversiontotheairportafter gettingintotechnicaldifficulties. Thefirstincidenthappenedataround 12pmonSaturday,December29,whena flightfromGenevatoLutonwasaffect- edbyhighwindsandtorrentialrainasit approachedtherunway. Astheplanebegantodescendtotouch down,thepilotstoppedtheprocedure, and decided to perform a ‘go-around’ andmakeasecondattemptatlanding. Onewitnesswhosawthemanoeuvre said:“Iwasattheairporttakingweather related pictures when I photographed G-EZUJcomingintoland. “The aircraft was observed from its final descent onto the runway shortly aftermidday. “Iwascapturingthespraythatalways accompaniesawetlandingandsnapped awayastheaircrafttoucheddown. “It landed, bounced, bounced again ing with the windsock blowing out at An easyJet spokesperson said: “On andthentherewasahugenoiseasthe rightanglestotherunway.” Saturday, the captain on G-ZEUJ took pilot pushed the aircraft into an OnNewYear’sEve,apilothadtotake thedecisiontogo-aroundasaprecau- immediatetakeoff. actionforasecondtimeafteroilbegan tion,andtheplanelandedroutinelyon “I have to assume, as the wind was leakingintooneoftheengines. itssecondapproach. gustingveryhard,thattherewasaprob- More than 150 passengers were “WecanconfirmthatflightEZY6908 lemwith‘windsheer’orsimilarhence onboardtheplane,whichwastravelling flyingfromGenevatoEdinburghdivert- theemergencyactiontakenbythepilot. from Geneva to Edinburgh, when the edtoLondonLutonAirportonMonday “The aircraft was airborne again emergencylandingwasmade. duetoatechnicalissue. almost immediately. They would nor- Itisthoughtthattheplanewasaround “Again,thecaptaintookthedecisionto mallytakeofffurtherdowntherunway. Cambridgewhenthecaptainmadethe divertasaprecautiononly. “After ten-15 minutes the aircraft decisiontotakethediversionandland “Thesafetyofourpassengersandcrew returnedtoLutonmakingaproperland- atLuton. isourhighestpriority.” Woman left shocked by assault AWOMANwasleft‘shocked’afterbeing betweenherlegs. Hesaid:“Webelievethismanmayhave grabbedbetweenthelegsonNewYear’s Thewomanthenhittheassailantinthe beenhangingaroundinStGeorge’s Day. facebutheheldherhandsandhither SquarepriortofollowingthevictimandI The25-year-oldvictimwaswalkingat back,beforeturningandwalkingback wouldurgeanyonewhowasoutonNew thejunctionofFrederickStreetandOld towardsthetowncentre. Year’sEveandcanhelpidentifytheman BedfordRoadataround2.30amwhenshe BedfordshirePolicesaidtheassaulthas responsibleoranyonewhosawthe confrontedamanshebelievedwas leftthewomanshocked. incidenttocomeforwardandspeak followingher. DetectiveConstableMikeRobinson,who withofficers.” Herepliedthathewasandwhenshe isinvestigating,iskeentotraceanyone AnyonewithinformationcancontactDC triedtoremovehermobilefromherbagto whosawwhathappenedoranyonewho Robinson,inconfidence,on01582394312 phoneforassistancethemangrabbedher canhelpidentifythemaninvolved. orBedfordshirePoliceon101. 4|January6,2013|www.luton-dunstable.co.uk|LUTONONSUNDAY news01582707707|advertising01582700800 news01582707707|advertising01582700800 LUTONONSUNDAY |www.luton-dunstable.co.uk|January6,2013|5 Luton HIV rate is highest in region BYCARLMUNGAZI tionswillcontinuetooccur.Totacklethisproblem [email protected] andthestigmastillattachedtothevirus,wemust increase understanding about HIV – how it’s passedonandhowpeoplecanprotectthemselves ONEinfourpeoplelivingwithHIVinLutonis andothers. unawareofit,newfiguresrevealedthisweek. “It’scrucialforpeoplelivinginLutontobeaware Andthenumberofpeoplelivingwiththedisease ofthefactsaboutHIVandknowhowandwhereto inthetownisnearlythreetimesthenationalaver- get a free, confidential test if they’ve put them- ageaccordingtofiguresfromtheHealthProtection selvesatrisk. Agency(HPA). “It’salsoreallyimportantforourlocalcouncilsto Thedatameansthetownhasthehighestnumber continueinvestinginHIVpreventionworkwhen ofpeopleintheEastofEnglandlivingwithHIV, theytakeoverpublichealthbudgetsnextyear. with 534 individuals diagnosed as having the “WhatisstrikingabouttheHPA’sdata,ishowit disease. reallyshowsbothoursuccessesandourshortcom- Deborah Jack, chief executive of the National ingsintacklingHIVintheUK. AIDSTrust(NAT),saidthelackofawarenesscou- “Ontheonehand,wecanhailtreatmentasareal pled with high infection rates meant that ‘new successstory.Treatmentiseffective,peoplediag- infectionswillcontinuetooccur’. nosedwithHIVcanaccessiteasilyanditiswork- Shealsocalledforanincreasedunderstandingof inginkeepingthevirusundercontrol. thediseaseandtacklingthestigmaattachedtoit. “However,whenitcomestoincreasingtheuptake Just over four out of every 1,000 people in the oftesting–thegatewaytotreatment–ourservices townlivewithHIV,whilstnationallythenumberis arepatchy,inconsistentandultimatelywearestill 1.5in1,000. failingtomakeanysignificantheadwayintack- Furthermore,nearly60percentofpeopleliving lingthehighratesofundiagnosedHIV.” inLutonwithHIVhavebeendiagnosedlate,and AreportpublishedlastyearbytheHPAestimat- thishaspotentiallyseriousimplicationsontheir edthatattheendof2011,96,000peopleintheUK longtermhealth. werelivingwithHIV,withthehighestinfection MsJacksaid:“LutonhasthehighestratesofHIV rates reported among homosexual men and the intheEastofEnglandandaquarterofpeoplewith blackAfricancommunity. HIVareunawaretheyhavethevirus. Italsoshowedthat24percentofpeopleintheUK “Aslongasthisfigureremainshigh,newinfec- livingwiththediseasedidnotknowit. Armed robber is sent to jail ANArMEDrobberwhodisguisedhimself withabandanaandsunglasseshasbeen sentencedtoeightyearsinprison. MarkCrawford,25,fromEldonroad, Lutonwasconvictedofhavinganimitation firearmwithintent,robberyandhavinga knife. Crawfordhadbeenchargedbyofficersof theSouthBedfordshirerobberyUnit,for offenceswhichhappenedinParksideDrive andSandringhamDrive,Houghtonregis,in April2012. Duringthetrialthejuryhadheardhowhe stolemobilephonesandaniPodwhilst armedwithaknifeandanimitation firearm.Hisyoungestvictimwas14- years-old. DetectiveConstablerebeccaKittssaid: “ThereisnodoubtthatCrawfordisaviolent manwhousedweaponstomakehisvictims fearhim.Weareverypleasedwiththissen- tencing.Itmeansthepublicwillbesafe JAILED:MarkCrawford fromthismanformanyyears.” 6|January6,2013|www.luton-dunstable.co.uk|LUTONONSUNDAY news01582707707|advertising01582700800 news01582707707|advertising01582700800 LUTONONSUNDAY |www.luton-dunstable.co.uk|January6,2013|7 New Year honours for local heroes BYLAURENARCHELL [email protected] MEMBERS of Bedfordshire Police staff, an ex-ambulance serviceboss,andasuperinten- dent at the Royal Veterinary Collegewereamongthosewho received awards in the New Year’sHonourslist. DetectiveSuperintendentNigel Stone was awarded an MBE, whileHeadofScientificServices, Richard Johnson was honoured withanOBE. MrStone,55,hasbeenapolice officer for 28 years, and has workedinseriouscrimeinvesti- gations, the missing persons’ GONGS:RichardJohnsonandNigelStonebothrecognisedfortheirwork unit and the online investiga- tionsteam. Hesaid:“Iamveryhumbledto andtheteamswhichcontribute timeofmostneedandreducing receive this MBE, as it reflects toitasawholeinBeds,Hertsand call times nationally’, and also notjustmyownworkbutmore Cambs,asitisforme.” his role as the national ambu- importantly,thehugeamountof Alsohonouredwasformerhead lanceleadforthe2012Olympics. workdoneinBedfordshirebythe of the East of England ambu- Mr Newton said: “I am abso- police and our partners across lanceservice,Hayden Newton, lutely delighted to receive this thecountry.” whobecameoneofthefirstever awardandwanttothankevery- Mr Johnson, 54, has been recipients of the Queen’s one who has supported me awardedtheOBEforpioneering Ambulance Service Medal for throughout my time in the thedeliveryofscientificservices DistinguishedService(QAM). ambulanceservice.” to fight crime and protect the Amaximumoffourpeopleper Departmental Superintendant public. The units he oversees year are picked to receive the Vivienne Heys from Luton was include fingerprints, scenes of award, which was introduced alsohonouredinthelist. crimeandimagery. thisJanuary. She was awarded an OBE for Richardsaid:“Ifeelthehonour Thecitationnotedhis‘dedica- services to Higher Educational isasmuchforforensicservices tion to helping patients at the andAnimalHealth. 8|January6,2013|www.luton-dunstable.co.uk|LUTONONSUNDAY Former lawyernews0g15827i077v07|aedvertisning01582700800 community service BYCARLMUNGAZI healthandsafetybreacheswere [email protected] foundfollowinganinspectionby thecouncilofMrAhmed’sprop- A‘LAWYER’hasbeensentenced ertyat35,DunravenAvenue. to200hoursofcommunityser- Officersfoundayoungfemale vice after failing to give infor- studentlivingintheatticspace, mationtocouncilofficersinves- whichcouldonlybeaccessedby tigatingalandlord. an unstable staircase, without MichaelHarvey,ofHarveyLaw windows,ventilationorheating. in Luton, was found guilty on Other hazards related to four charges of obstructing obstructedfireexits,accumula- counciltradingstandardsoffic- tions of rubbish, lack of fire ers who were investigating doors,andlackoffirealarmsand Khaled Ahmed, who has gone disrepairtotheproperty. missingafterbeingfined£52,957 Furthermore, the officers dis- for letting out a ‘death trap’ covered that the property was house. operatingwithoutalicenceand Councilinvestigationsrevealed it had been altered internally, thatHarvey,whowasstruckoff causinganumberofpotentially asasolicitorin2003,wasacting fatalfiresafetyhazards. for the landlord and agents for UNSAFE:RoominDunravenAvenue Someoftheexistingbedrooms thepropertyconcerned. hadbeenpoorlysub-dividedto Butwhenaskedtoproducerel- rightsasregisteredsolicitors. gain additional smaller bed- evant documents by a trading CouncillorMohammedAshraf, roomssomorepeoplecouldlive standardsofficer,Harveyrefused portfolio holder for trading there. One bedroom measured and claimed legal privilege. He standards,said:“Counciltrading justfivesquaremetres. thenclaimedhedidnothavethe standards officers have a range MrAhmedwasfined£15,000 documents. ofpowerstodealwithcriminal forfailingtolicensetheproperty, AtLutonMagistrates’Court,Mr offences. Anyone deliberately afurther£4,000foreachofthe Harvey argued that he was not obstructing a council officer in ninebreachesoftheManagement covered by the legislation and the course of their work risks ofHouseinMultipleOccupation the actions of council officers legal action and a criminal Regulations2006whichtotalled were‘disproportionate’. record.” afurther£36,000anda£15vic- However, the judge described Harvey has also been ordered timsurcharge.Thecouncilwas hisversionofeventsas‘incredi- topay£500councilprosecution alsoawarded£1,957costs. ble’ and rejected his claims, costsinadditiontohiscommu- Totalfinesandcostsamounted including his assertion that he nityservice. to £52,957, which is one of the had the same legal privilege Earlier this year a number of highestfinesrecordedinLuton.