British court says farmer will be jailed if he doesn't tear down illicit castle

Published November 09, 2015

FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2010 file photo, farmer Robert Fidler stands outside the mock Tudor castle home at Honeycrock Farm, Salfords, England. A judge ruled Monday Nov. 9, 2015 that the 66-year-old farmer will go to prison if he doesn't demolish a mock-Tudor castle he built without planning permission. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP, File) UNITED KINGDOM OUT (The Associated Press)

The old adage says an Englishman's home is his castle. But a court says Robert Fidler's castle can't be his home.

A judge ruled Monday the 66-year-old farmer will go to prison if he doesn't demolish a mock-Tudor castle he built without planning permission.

Fidler built the property south of London in 2000, keeping it hidden behind straw bales. Local authorities ordered him to tear it down in 2007, saying it breached planning rules designed to protect the countryside, and Fidler lost several legal challenges against the order.

High Court judge Ian Dove said Fidler would be jailed for three months for "intentional defiance" unless he complied by June 6, 2016.

Fidler, who claimed the local council was out to destroy his life, left court without speaking after the ruling.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/world/british-court-says-farmer-will-be-jailed-if-he-doesnt-tear-down-illicit-castle