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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Gang member turns up to court with traffic cone on his head as disguise

A gang member feebly tries to conceal his identity by arriving at court with a huge traffic cone over his head.

Luke Edwards, 33, was part of a group of five men who discarded waste and burnt a fridge on a public road.

They used the street as their 'own private dumping ground', a judge heard, as they all appeared at Winchester Crown Court.

The red and white traffic cone donned by Edwards wasn't the only disguise gang members used to in a bid to hide their appearance as the group arrived for sentencing.

Jason Castle, 28, covered his face with a mask - cutting out two eye-holes so he could see as he walked into the building.

Edwards wasn't keen to be recognised ahead of the hearing (Will Dax/Solent News)
Earlier, the gang member covered his face with his jacket (Will Dax/Solent News)

Michael Whittaker, 52, Daniel Whittaker, 34, and Shane Griggs, 37 also committed the offences on an access road near Lode Hill Caravan Site, Downton in Wiltshire.

The gang members claimed in court that they were simply "dealing with rubbish that had already been dumped on the road by others" between August and September 2017.

The men all pleaded guilty to one count each of depositing controlled waste, the Swindon Advertiser reports.

Daniel Whittaker seemed more than happy to be photographed (Will Dax/Solent News)
Michael Whittaker and the other four men were fined £1,200 (Will Dax/Solent News)

Their actions, including a clean up, had cost in the council an estimated £42,000, the court was told.

The five men all worked for various gardening companies with links to the caravan site.

They weren't aware that Wiltshire Council took the decision to install cameras along the road as they were caught in the act.

Syan Ventom, prosecuting, said the fridge caught fire, black smoke released a 'cocktail of dangerous gasses' into the air.

Jason Castle put a mask over his face as he walked to court (Will Dax/Solent News)

Judge Jane Miller told them their 'deeply antisocial' actions represented a 'blight on the countryside' as she passed sentence.

"All of these offences were deliberate," she told the men.

"Flames were still burning [from the fridge] two hours later. You all treated this lane as your own private dumping ground."

Shane Griggs and Edwards both attempt to hide his identity (Will Dax/Solent News)

The five men were all fined £1,200.

Michael Whitaker and Griggs were ordered to pay £2,500 costs with Castle told he must pay £1,500.

Edwards and Daniel Whittaker were both told they must pay £1,000.

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