The penalty for bulldozing part of the Priddy Henges will soon be known. Bearing in mind some recent lesser cases (12 months in jail for stealing lead from a church roof and a £2,600 fine for installing uPVC windows in a listed farmhouse) Mr Penny might expect very bad news. On the other hand, imprisoning octogenarians for long periods is hardly appropriate, so it may well be that he’ll get what many will say is a light sentence and one that is insufficient deterrent to others.
But is focussing on the punishment missing the point? Isn’t reminding people there’s a punishment the real priority? In front of the King Stone at the Rollrights there’s a very old fashioned sign telling people that any person injuring or damaging it “will be liable to prosecution according to law”.
There’s no information board at the henge that Mr Penny damaged, they’re pretty expensive. But who knows, if there had been a simple, inexpensive warning notice, similar to the one at the King Stone, near the gate through which the bulldozer was driven, maybe the damage wouldn’t have happened.
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13/08/2012 at 13:56
Carl
I doubt it would have made a difference in this particular case.
I am sure he knew what he was doing.
However, it may make a difference at other sites?
I suspect a fine will be imposed.
Let’s hope it is sufficiently large to be a warning to others?
13/08/2012 at 14:16
heritageaction
“I am sure he knew what he was doing”
Probably, thanks to the Deeds of the property or correspondence about it from his solicitor or EH .
But what about the man who ACTUALLY did the damage, the man that drove the bulldozer? Maybe a notice on the gate would have made him hesitate?
13/08/2012 at 16:28
Carl
True, I never thought of it that way.
Although it wouldn’t take much for any warning sign to ‘disappear’!
Fair point though.
13/08/2012 at 16:31
heritageaction
Well the King Stone sign was vandalised a while back, which is ironic.