Birdman of Bristol fined £300 for feeding pigeons ignoring community orders
A PERSISTENT pigeon feeder has vowed to continue his hobby despite being fined £300 by a court and warned he faces jail if he continues.
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Paul Charlton is known as the 'Pigeon Man' in Bath, Somerset, where he draws large crowds by allowing dozens of birds to balance on his arms and head.
Last year he was slapped with a Community Protection Notice by the council but was convicted of breaching it on a number of occasions.
He has now been handed a two-year Criminal Behaviour Order and warned he will be hauled back before magistrates and jailed if he breaches it.
But Charlton, 42, claims that feeding the birds is his 'profession' and he is refusing to pay the fine or stop encouraging the airborne menaces.
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He told Bath Magistrates' Court: “I'm going to carry on feeding the pigeons. I will have to go to prison before I give you a single penny.”
Charlton was spotted breaching his order on three occasions - May 9, May 10 and September 23 last year.
He denied three counts of breaching the notice against him but was convicted in his absence on November 21.
The eccentric performer earns a living by balancing pigeons on his arms, shoulders and head and gives members of the public grain to feed them in exchange for coins.
Speaking before the sentencing, he said: “This has been my job for the past four years. It is how I pay my rent and my bills. I make a living out of it.
“It's my occupation whether people want to see it as an occupation or not. It makes people happy.“
Barrister Carrie-Ann Evans, acting for Bath and North East Somerset Council, told the court: “He understood what was required of him to stop feeding the pigeons.
“Despite this he carried on feeding the birds and providing grain.”
She also read out a victim statement from the manager a café by the Roman Baths, who said: “Paul Charlton feeds the pigeons directly outside my premises.
“We have a responsibility to make sure the tables are clean and hygienic.
Winter Bird Feeding
“Many members of the public are uncomfortable and often find the number of pigeons unacceptable.
“We have had pigeons fly into the shop on multiple occasions. They have landed on our cakes which then have to be thrown away.
“There is an absolutely clear correlation between his presence and the pigeons. There's an emotional cost of frustration.”
Charlton was fined £100 for each breach of the order but walked out of the court while his sentence was being read out.