Committal for Contempt of Court: Patrick Collins
Case number: QB-2020-004209
The High Court, Queen’s Bench Division
12 November 2021
On the 12 November 2021 this court committed PATRICK COLLINS to prison.
An injunction granted by Mr Justice Foxton on 8 December 2021 included the following terms:
“1. The defendants are required by 4pm on 14 December 2021 to remove from the land any static caravans, mobile home and touring caravans.
2. The defendants be prohibited (whether by themselves, their servants or agents) from:
(a) Bringing a caravan, a mobile home, or any other structure intended for or capable of habitation onto the land.
(b) Erecting on the land any structure of building capable of or intended to be put to residential use.
(c) Carrying out any works including but not limited to the laying of hard standing on the land
(d) Allowing any persons to take up occupation of the land”
The court found that following admissions made, Patrick Collins had breached that order as follows:
(a) Between 11 May 2021 and 24 May 2021, in breach of paragraph 2(a) of the Injunction, Patrick Collins caused or allowed a touring caravan to be brought into Plot 9.
(b) Between 24 May 2021 and 3 June 2021, in breach of paragraph 2(c) of the Injunction, further groundworks were carried out to Plot 9 and additional hardstanding was created on the plot.
(c) As at 3 June 2021, in continuing breach of paragraph 1 or paragraph 2(a) of the Injunction, Patrick Collins had failed to remove all the caravans from Plot 9 and/or had caused or allowed further caravans to be brought on to Plot 9.
And imposed the following sentences for those breaches:
– Breach (a): 1 month
– Breach (b): 2 months, consecutive
– Breach (c): 1 month, consecutive
– Less 32 days (reflecting 16 days served)
– Less 15% discount for acceptance of breaches
– Total: 74 days from today
And in addition, the court activated the suspended sentence imposed by Mr Metzer QC (sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge) on 12 February 2021 of seven months (211 days).
Accordingly, it was ordered that Patrick Collins be committed for contempt to Her Majesty’s Prison at Pentonville for a total period of 285 days or until lawfully discharged if sooner, and that a warrant of committal be issued forthwith.
His Honour Judge Lewis
Sitting as a Judge of the High Court