A 64 year old man who urinated in broad daylight in the grounds of Wolverhampton's historic St Peter's Church has been fined £250 by a court.

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Sergei Koviazan, of School Street, relieved himself in the picturesque St Peter's Gardens at lunchtime on 7 March this year.

He was observed by an officer working for Kingdom Services - City of Wolverhampton Council's environmental crime enforcement partner.

The officer immediately approached Koviazan and gave him a fixed penalty fine of £75 which was never paid despite being sent numerous reminders in the post.

Due to the non payment of the fine, the council decided to prosecute Koviazan and he was found guilty in his absence of depositing litter - namely urine - at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court.

Councillor Steve Evans, City of Wolverhampton Council's cabinet member for city environment, said: "This was a disgusting act made worse by the fact it was done in the grounds of a place of worship making it also deeply disrespectful.

"St Peter's Gardens is a popular spot for workers and visitors to our city who like to sit in this peaceful, landscaped green space.

"There is absolutely no excuse for urinating in public - there are public toilets in the city centre as well as facilities in shops and shopping centres.

"Mr Koviazan has now been punished by the court with a fine which is considerably more than the original fixed penalty notice which he ignored.

"I hope this case will act as a deterrent to anyone else who thinks they can commit anti social acts in our city and then ignore the consequences."  

  • released: Wednesday 1 November, 2017