A billionaire has been imprisoned for ignoring a court order to demolish Britain’s finest man cave, which he unlawfully constructed in his back yard.
Graham Wildin, 70, was sentenced to six weeks in jail yesterday for contempt of court after refusing to dismantle his home’s private leisure complex, which included a cinema, gym, casino, bar, and bowling alley in Cinderford, Gloucestershire.
The eight-year struggle began in 2014, when the Forest of Dean District Council filed a lawsuit against him for his’man cave,’ which he erected without planning permission.
Wildin was held in contempt of court in June 2021 for failing to comply with the injunction, which he appealed.
The appeal was denied, and he was given until March 10 of this year to comply with the order and avoid jail time – but it is still in effect.
After an eight-year legal struggle, the last deadline to demolish the man cave to avoid a prison term for contempt of court for defying the injunction passed in March with no action done.
Even after completing his term, Wildin will be obliged to bulldoze his man cave.
According to MailOnline, family or neighbors would now have to request permission for bulldozers to cross over their property to access Wildin’s mancave and forcefully demolish it.
Neighbors on Meendhurst Road complained in April that Wildin had ‘doubled down’ on their complaints about his failure to obey the guidelines.
‘He’s not very well regarded,’ remarked a neighbor who lived down the street at the time.
‘He’s irritated everyone on this street by breaking planning laws and parking his collection of historic automobiles everywhere.’
‘He just completed building a swimming pool in the backyard. This had been going on for perhaps four or five months. He gets everyone’s back up, and it’s revenge time for everyone on this road, according to him.
‘He even had his gates fixed to keep everyone out of his residence.’ There’s always something going on up there; they began work on the swimming pool, which was completed late last year.
‘We don’t see him all that much. It’s a pity since he used to be a member of the community, joining us in street parties and other activities, but now he simply annoys everyone on the road and treats us poorly.
‘I’m not sure how they’re going to demolish the buildings now that he’s given them away, but perhaps they’ll find a way.’
Deputy Leader of Forest of Dean Council, Cllr Paul Hiett, said after Mr Wildin was sentenced yesterday, ‘The enforcement action against Mr Wildin has been a long and complicated road.’
‘In what should have been an entirely preventable scenario, Mr Wildin has consistently disregarded planning rules and regulations designed to safeguard local communities.’
‘The law is the law, and we will not give up on pursuing Mr Wildin and ensuring that he follows the law in the same manner that everyone else does.’
‘As a Council, we must guarantee that development plans benefit the settings in which they reside while also protecting the community.’
‘Every year, hundreds of individuals seek and accept planning guidance from the Council. This was not the situation in Mr Wildin’s case.
‘I’d want to thank the residents of the Forest once again for their patience, as well as the Council’s staff for their perseverance in pushing this issue ahead.’
‘To safeguard local communities from behavior like we’ve seen in this instance, we will continue to prosecute people who disregard planning regulations via the legal channels.’
‘Following a series of warnings, the Council got an injunction against Mr Wildin in November 2018 and he had until April 25th, 2020 to remove a recreational facility he erected in 2014 without planning permission,’ a council official stated.
Mr Wildin was convicted in contempt of court for failing to comply with the injunction in committal proceedings launched by Forest of Dean District Council in June 2021.
‘This forced Mr Wildin to gently strip and decommission services to the building, and the court sentenced Mr Wildin to six weeks in jail suspended for a year, with the proviso that the facility be permanently stripped and deactivated within 18 weeks.’
‘Mr Wildin afterwards challenged the judgement, claiming that the Council provided no proof of costs laid out for the completion of the improvements and that 18 weeks was insufficient time to perform the works.’
‘On September 28, 2021, the case was heard in the Court of Appeal at the Royal Courts of Justice in London before Lady Justice Elisabeth Laing and Lord Justice Edis.
‘Mr Charles Auld for Mr Wildin and Mr Stephen Whale for the Council submitted submissions. The sentence was suspended and handed out on Thursday, November 4th.
‘The appeal was denied, and Mr Wildin was given until March 10, 2022, to comply with the Order and do the requisite work in order to avoid jail.’
‘The Council has been awarded significant expenses many times during the process. Mr Wildin will still be forced to demolish the structure after completing his term.’