Gravesend man Russell Carter ordered to pay £675 for dropping a cigarette butt

5:13pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News By Tim MacFarlan, Bexley and north Kent reporter

A GRAVESEND man caught dropping a cigarette butt will have to pay £675 after being found guilty of littering.

Russell Carter, 50, was seen by two Medway Council community officers flicking away a fag end while sitting in his van outside McDonald’s in Merrick Way, Strood on June 7 last year.

The Canal Road resident pulled up nearly alongside a marked council van before officers Yusuf Cinar and Rebecca Pease clearly saw him light the cigarette and then dispose of it on the pavement, Dartford Magistrates’ Court heard.

When confronted by Mr Cinar, Carter told him: "You were waiting for me to do that", the court was told.

At a Medway Magistrates’ Court hearing on January 15, Carter pleaded not guilty to throwing down, dropping or otherwise depositing litter.

Carter claimed neither officer could have seen him litter and that he actually dropped a stone, according to prosecution barrister Alan Conroy.

Mr Cinar told magistrates the cigarette butt was still smoking after he saw Carter flick it away.

The defendant was found guilty in his absence on March 6, fined £200 and ordered to pay £460 costs and a £15 surcharge.

The prosecution applied for £860 costs.

Carter was taken to court for failing to pay a fixed penalty notice of £80, which is reduced to £60 if paid within 10 days.

Comments(41)

modboy123 says...
10:47pm Wed 6 Mar 13

ha ha ha is this a **** joke

Report this post »

modboy123 says...
10:49pm Wed 6 Mar 13

with all the immigrants littering our country everyday just by being here and the court fine him that much what a joke england is ,still laughing

Report this post »

Marty1979 says...
6:33am Thu 7 Mar 13

Expensive fag - but it would only have cost £60 if he'd paid

Report this post »

PaulErith says...
8:29am Thu 7 Mar 13

Ridiculous waste of time taking this man to court. Considering some of the thugs that get let off with warnings and don't even get to court, this is a joke.

Report this post »

mcreedy says...
10:14am Thu 7 Mar 13

The world has gone mad. How can they justify this fine in today's climate. I agree with previous comments. Courts should be dealing with real crimes!

Report this post »

the wall says...
12:00pm Thu 7 Mar 13

PaulErith wrote:
Ridiculous waste of time taking this man to court. Considering some of the thugs that get let off with warnings and don't even get to court, this is a joke.
Really - Then you will not mind people flicking their dog ends into your garden. What if this person had thrown his take away wrapers on the floor or dumped a load of tyres - Litter is litter big or small.

He was issued with a FPN and decided not to pay. Due process was followed.

Report this post »

the wall says...
12:04pm Thu 7 Mar 13

modboy123 wrote:
with all the immigrants littering our country everyday just by being here and the court fine him that much what a joke england is ,still laughing
The wiff of BNP failure is strong in this one.

The court fine was £200 up from £80, His choice not to pay and go to court.

England - Starts with a capital letter. Even most immigrants know this.

Report this post »

the wall says...
12:26pm Thu 7 Mar 13

In fact he only had to pay £60.

Report this post »

PaulErith says...
1:21pm Thu 7 Mar 13

the wall wrote:
PaulErith wrote: Ridiculous waste of time taking this man to court. Considering some of the thugs that get let off with warnings and don't even get to court, this is a joke.
Really - Then you will not mind people flicking their dog ends into your garden. What if this person had thrown his take away wrapers on the floor or dumped a load of tyres - Litter is litter big or small. He was issued with a FPN and decided not to pay. Due process was followed.
Fair enough. I guess it's just an emotive reaction. If I saw someone drop a cigarette outside my house, it wouldn't really bother me. However, I would challenge them if they dropped a crisp packet. But you're right.

Report this post »

modboy123 says...
2:25pm Thu 7 Mar 13

the wall wrote:
modboy123 wrote:
with all the immigrants littering our country everyday just by being here and the court fine him that much what a joke england is ,still laughing
The wiff of BNP failure is strong in this one.

The court fine was £200 up from £80, His choice not to pay and go to court.

England - Starts with a capital letter. Even most immigrants know this.
always one and it had to be you

Report this post »

modboy123 says...
2:28pm Thu 7 Mar 13

modboy123 wrote:
the wall wrote:
modboy123 wrote:
with all the immigrants littering our country everyday just by being here and the court fine him that much what a joke england is ,still laughing
The wiff of BNP failure is strong in this one.

The court fine was £200 up from £80, His choice not to pay and go to court.

England - Starts with a capital letter. Even most immigrants know this.
always one and it had to be you
and too bloody right bnp all the way i dont mind saying so myself seeing as you asked
and i wonder how they know how it starts with a capital letter could it be that our pathetic systems are paying for their education

Report this post »

Petra69 says...
4:07pm Thu 7 Mar 13

Deserved it well. If you don't want the fine don't do the crime. Quite simple even a Chav from Gravesend might understand

Report this post »

the wall says...
4:55pm Thu 7 Mar 13

modboy123 wrote:
modboy123 wrote:
the wall wrote:
modboy123 wrote:
with all the immigrants littering our country everyday just by being here and the court fine him that much what a joke england is ,still laughing
The wiff of BNP failure is strong in this one.

The court fine was £200 up from £80, His choice not to pay and go to court.

England - Starts with a capital letter. Even most immigrants know this.
always one and it had to be you
and too bloody right bnp all the way i dont mind saying so myself seeing as you asked
and i wonder how they know how it starts with a capital letter could it be that our pathetic systems are paying for their education
Shame you didn't get an education.

If Engalnd is such a joke why are you still here?

Report this post »

Virtual-Monster says...
4:56pm Thu 7 Mar 13

He wont risk littering again will he?

He is just another scumbag who thinks he can do what he wants to, well guess what? HE CAN'T!

Report this post »

modboy123 says...
5:21pm Thu 7 Mar 13

the wall wrote:
modboy123 wrote:
modboy123 wrote:
the wall wrote:
modboy123 wrote:
with all the immigrants littering our country everyday just by being here and the court fine him that much what a joke england is ,still laughing
The wiff of BNP failure is strong in this one.

The court fine was £200 up from £80, His choice not to pay and go to court.

England - Starts with a capital letter. Even most immigrants know this.
always one and it had to be you
and too bloody right bnp all the way i dont mind saying so myself seeing as you asked
and i wonder how they know how it starts with a capital letter could it be that our pathetic systems are paying for their education
Shame you didn't get an education.

If Engalnd is such a joke why are you still here?
You dont see that England (note the capital letter) is a joke,please take your rose tinted glasses off !
Seems like your the one who didnt have an education to be blinded to the everyday facts in front of you about this country .
And being stuck in England which i am sure is shared by many is certainly not by choice

Report this post »

jay2180 says...
8:37pm Thu 7 Mar 13

Agree with modboy all the way....

Report this post »

adx1220 says...
9:32pm Thu 7 Mar 13

Petty things like littering have a huge impact on the environment, short and long term. Cigarette butts, litter, dog **** and other things are unpleasant to see.

People do not have pride in their things or have respect for others these days.

I think the fine is extortionate and disproportional, people need discipline not fines.

Send him out on community service picking litter and give him a target to collect. Simple way to prevent and cure this isn't it?

Please NS readers no bickering or BS replies.

Report this post »

modboy123 says...
11:11pm Thu 7 Mar 13

jay2180 wrote:
Agree with modboy all the way....
jay2180 well thank god theres someone else not scared to air the truth on here ,perhaps if there were a few more like that in this country with a backbone there would be more people standing up for whats right in England and we wouldnt be in this mess ,I dont agree that you should drop fag butts anywhere you please but the fine is a ridiculous amount compared to other real crimes .People be aware give or take a few more years you will be fined for breathing to much air or sneezing sinus particles considered as litter next .
England has the weakest people that dont fight for anything anymore ,we are programmed robots that adhere to any stupid laws made daily however stupid by the goverment

Report this post »

banjo8 says...
9:21am Fri 8 Mar 13

I say GOOD. Once again the whining comes from complete idiots who don't seem to care about living in a complete s*ithole. Don't let lowlifes destroy our green and pleasant land. If you don't want to be fined, don't drop litter (of any sort) simples. Smoking is a disgusting habit anyway, which shouldn't be inflicted on decent clean-living people.

Report this post »

Gypo.Joe says...
10:29am Fri 8 Mar 13

Banjo8 you're playing my tune boi. Smoking is a flithy dirty habit, if ya must smoke dont chuck ya old dog ends everywhere. If anyone gets caught littering knick em. Pay up and shut the F up.

Report this post »

banjo8 says...
10:52am Fri 8 Mar 13

OMG who'd have thought I'd be on Gypo Joe's wavelength! What we should do is give them a choice - either pay the fine or work the equivalent number of hours picking up rubbish ie. divide the fine by the hourly minimum wage rate and make them work that number of supervised hours - if it was down to me I'd have them dressed in fluorescent bibs with 'I dropped litter' on the back.

Report this post »

Gypo.Joe says...
10:58am Fri 8 Mar 13

banjo8 wrote:
OMG who'd have thought I'd be on Gypo Joe's wavelength! What we should do is give them a choice - either pay the fine or work the equivalent number of hours picking up rubbish ie. divide the fine by the hourly minimum wage rate and make them work that number of supervised hours - if it was down to me I'd have them dressed in fluorescent bibs with 'I dropped litter' on the back.
Banjo you do sound like my brother from another mother boi.

All this ASBO bullchit they should do away with and just get that toe rags out picking up litter or cleaning graffiti etc etc. Make the phuckers work, and yes make em wear an orange onesie wiv the nature of the crime on the back for all to see.

Report this post »

PaulErith says...
12:27pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Gypo.Joe wrote:
banjo8 wrote: OMG who'd have thought I'd be on Gypo Joe's wavelength! What we should do is give them a choice - either pay the fine or work the equivalent number of hours picking up rubbish ie. divide the fine by the hourly minimum wage rate and make them work that number of supervised hours - if it was down to me I'd have them dressed in fluorescent bibs with 'I dropped litter' on the back.
Banjo you do sound like my brother from another mother boi. All this ASBO bullchit they should do away with and just get that toe rags out picking up litter or cleaning graffiti etc etc. Make the phuckers work, and yes make em wear an orange onesie wiv the nature of the crime on the back for all to see.
..and a ball and chain as well.

Report this post »

banjo8 says...
12:36pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Why not, we've gone far too soft. A little rock-breaking would do no harm at all.

Report this post »

mouthalmighty says...
3:46pm Fri 8 Mar 13

Modboy123. You're the minority now in every which way you can think of. Can u do that? Think that is.

Report this post »

modboy123 says...
4:14pm Fri 8 Mar 13

mouthalmighty wrote:
Modboy123. You're the minority now in every which way you can think of. Can u do that? Think that is.
mouthalmighty your the typical English robot that keeps quiet and follows suit i rest my case

Report this post »

banjo8 says...
4:22pm Fri 8 Mar 13

We shouldn't concern ourselves with the background/descent of these morons, it's irrelevant. What's important is that whoever they are they should be appropriately brought to book and punished. I don't want to sound too much like an old git - but the day we spared the birch!...

Report this post »

bexleybee says...
9:38pm Fri 8 Mar 13

There's too much giving out of on the spot fines as a way of dealing with petty offences. Whatever happened to giving a warning if the offender puts things right ie: pick up the fag end.
If you find yourself in this situation, refuse your name and address and walk away. There's nothing they can do to stop you.

Report this post »

banjo8 says...
11:14am Sat 9 Mar 13

bexleybee wrote:
There's too much giving out of on the spot fines as a way of dealing with petty offences. Whatever happened to giving a warning if the offender puts things right ie: pick up the fag end. If you find yourself in this situation, refuse your name and address and walk away. There's nothing they can do to stop you.
What an appalling attitude. Your advice seems to be: Act like a complete antisocial moron and the walk away from the problem. With people like you it's no surprise society is disintegrating rapidly. There is no excuse for dropping litter. I can't believe that you think it's ok to drop litter if you can get away with it. Honestly words fail me, you are the lowest of the low.

Report this post »

neighbour says...
11:28am Sat 9 Mar 13

Excellent news! Those responsible for Bexleyheath, which resembles one huge dump continually swirling in litter, please take note. The sweepers are constantly out in force and do a great job but they're constantly swimming against the tide. LB Enfield has been fining litter-louts for some time and I take my hat off to them.

Report this post »

bexleybee says...
5:00pm Sat 9 Mar 13

Dear banjo8,

You have completely missed the point I
was making. There may be no excuse for dropping litter but there are ways and means of dealing with it. You can get people onside by not using a sledgehammer to crack a peanut. Far too many agencies are locked onto prosecution as the only way.

Report this post »

Virtual-Monster says...
5:29pm Sat 9 Mar 13

bexleybee wrote:
Dear banjo8,

You have completely missed the point I
was making. There may be no excuse for dropping litter but there are ways and means of dealing with it. You can get people onside by not using a sledgehammer to crack a peanut. Far too many agencies are locked onto prosecution as the only way.
A fixed penalty is in fact a warning and is seen in law as such.

Failure to pay a fixed penalty results in prosecution and in this case a CRIMINAL RECORD!

Numpties who choose to ignore their responsibilities deserve to be given a fine and fixed penalties are an excellent way of reminding selfish people that they have a duty to be socially responsible.

If more people were forced to take responsibility for their anti social actions then we wouldn't have a country which seems to be falling apart at the seams.

There is no room in a modern, forward moving society for apologists who just want to give people 'one more chance'.

Bring out the stocks for the offenders and their fluffy-wuffy apologist chums!

Report this post »

banjo8 says...
7:23pm Sun 10 Mar 13

Bexleybee, I'm sure you are a right-minded caring individual who wouldn't dream of dropping litter yourself or ruining the environment for everyone. But, the sort of soft, wishy-washy attitude you advocate towards lawbreakers is irresponsible and, I would respectfully suggest, a god deal of the reason society finds itself in such a state and under threat from such scumbags wno don't care.

Report this post »

pamela8 says...
9:56am Tue 12 Mar 13

I think the fines are way over the top, and the additional court costs ? well. someones cashing it in....There are not enough signs on display if any...a caution..then the fine a price of a packet of fags....I don,t smoke, and I don,t judge people that do....

Report this post »

pamela8 says...
9:56am Tue 12 Mar 13

I think the fines are way over the top, and the additional court costs ? well. someones cashing it in....There are not enough signs on display if any...a caution..then the fine a price of a packet of fags....I don,t smoke, and I don,t judge people that do....

Report this post »

pamela8 says...
10:23am Tue 12 Mar 13

I think the fines are way over the top, and the additional court costs ? well. someones cashing it in....There are not enough signs on display if any...a caution..then the fine a price of a packet of fags....I don,t smoke, and I don,t judge people that do....

Report this post »

pamela8 says...
10:23am Tue 12 Mar 13

I think the fines are way over the top, and the additional court costs ? well. someones cashing it in....There are not enough signs on display if any...a caution..then the fine a price of a packet of fags....I don,t smoke, and I don,t judge people that do....

Report this post »

banjo8 says...
11:49am Tue 12 Mar 13

I'm not judging people who smoke, though I would, and I do, if their filthy habit impacts upon me.
In this case, chucking down their fag butts without a thought for anyone else or the environment, means they're doing exactly that - inflicting their scummy ways on the rest of us. In that case, they should be brought to justice for their disgusting behaviour. Your lily-livered attitude says a great deal about you - you might not smoke, but I bet you have some horrible habits.

Report this post »

Blackfen says...
8:00pm Tue 12 Mar 13

Perhaps these officers should follow Bexley dustmen they would have a field day issuing fines
They tend to leave plenty of litter about
when emptying the dustbins and also
leave dustbins & smaller waste bins everywhere except where the get them from normally 2 houses away

Report this post »

banjo8 says...
8:18am Wed 13 Mar 13

Ha, ha - a good point well made. But, if they didn't do the job in such a haphazard manner they might not get finished quite so quick and therefore lose valuable time in the pub!

Report this post »

goldenbroomboy says...
2:01pm Wed 13 Mar 13

Reading this story carefully, it seems that Mr Carter pleaded Not Guilty at the first hearing on 15th January, and the matter was accordingly relisted for a later date so that the matter could be more fully considered, which is standard Magistrates Court practice.

Mr Carter was essentially given an extra fine for not attending the second hearing & therefore wasting the courts time, & I do not have a problem with that.

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree