Dozens of Wolverhampton litter louts ordered to pay up £10,700

Wolverhampton council took further action against 39 men and women seen throwing cigarette butts and waste on the floor by council officers in December last year.

All were issued with a £75 fixed penalty notice but failed to pay it within the time scale required, meaning they were called to appear before city magistrates.

But at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court on Wednesday, just one turned up.

Prosecuting on behalf of the council, Richard Phillips told magistrates nine of the 39 litterers had paid their fine ahead of the court hearing and their cases were immediately withdrawn.

Two others pleaded guilty to the charge of littering, one in person and the other through a letter to the court. They were told to pay £165 and £295 respectively.

The remaining 28 litterers were convicted in their absence and told to pay £367 which includes a £220 fine, £125 in costs and a £22 victim surcharge.

They were: Salageanu Adrian, aged 22, of Manlove Street, Merridale; Slim Amira, 34, of Fifth Avenue, Low Hill; Natasha Bendikova, 34, of Leicester Street, Whitmore Reans; Julian Blanaru, 48, of Bruford Road, Merridale; Katie Cheshire, 21, of Moathouse Lane East, Wednesfield; Samantha Clark, 45, of Lunt Road, Bilston; Andrius Dapkevicius, 30, of South Street, Oxley; Zoe Dowen, 22, of Auden Court, Perton; Attila Erdely, 39, of Hordern Road, Whitmore Reans; Rachel Gandy, 31, of Bushbury Lane, Oxley; Joanne Gibbons, 34, of Deansfield Road, Deansfield; Lisa Henderson, 46, of Dunston Avenue, Dunstall Hill; George Hova, 39, of Sweetman Street, Whitmore Reans; Alves Jorge, 50, of Hordern Road, Whitmore Reans; Marian Malar, 56, of Walpole Road, Whitmore Reans; Ancuta Marcu, 22, of Dudley Road, Blakenhall; Raphael Moda, 20, of Heald Place, Manchester; Florina Nita, 25, of Horden Road, Whitmore Reans; Andrea Nitu, 25, of New Birmingham Road, Blakenhall; Derrick Philip, 50, of Prosser Street, Park Village; Dumitru Plesca, 38, of Napier Road, Blakenhall; Hannah Preece, 30, of New Hampton Road East, Dunstall Hill; Nicholas Semper, 25, of Cromwell Road, Fordhouses; Bajan Sorin, 31, of Dunstall Road, Dunstall Hill; Shannon Squire, 20, of Vaughan Road, Portobello; Paulina Tanasa, 31, of Dudley Road, Goldthorn Park; Garry Thompson, 32, of Hailes Park Close, Goldthorn Park; and Zina Zorine, 57, of Ribbesford Avenue, Oxley.

The only suspect to turn up to court was Sarah Smith, 25, of Parkfield Grove, Parkfield.

Smith said she did not pay the fine because she believed she had been discriminated against because of her race.

But in court she pleaded guilty and was fined £40 and told to pay costs of £125.