(Photo: SWNS)
A millionaire accountant has been sentenced to prison for disobeying a court order to tear down Britain’s best man cave after a marathon battle with the council.
Grandfather of five Graham Wildin, 70, wakes up behind bars this weekend after an eight-year row over his home sports and leisure complex, which includes a bowling alley, mini casino, squash court and cinema.
He was told he was incarcerated for six weeks after Judge Jarman QC ruled that Wildin’s attitude showed that he was determined not to obey repeated orders from the Forest of Dean District Council during the epic planning case over the colossal construction in the sprawling home of the accountant in Cinderford, Gloucestershire.
Deputy Councilor Paul Hiett said: “The enforcement case against Mr Wildin has been a long and complex road.
“In what should have been a completely avoidable situation, Mr. Wildin has consistently ignored planning laws and local community protection policies.
“The law is the law and we will not give up on Mr. Wildin’s pursuit and make sure that he follows the law in exactly the same way as everyone else… to protect local communities from behavior such as we have seen in this case, will we will continue to pursue those who ignore planning policies through the routes enshrined in law.”
Wildin was led away by court guards with a small suitcase and into a prison van outside Cardiff . set Supreme Court on Friday.
His jail sentence will not end the saga, as the judge told Wildin he has 18 weeks to comply with the decommissioning order when he gets out of prison.
The judge did not accept the accountant’s claims that he had done most of the clearing work on his cavernous man cave, but could not afford to pay workers to finish it or physically complete it on his own.
(Photo: SWNS)
(Photo: David Hedges / SWNS)
He also declined to delay the case for two months after Wildin said he needed more time to hire a lawyer and demand legal aid.
The millionaire, whose complex has been dubbed ‘Britain’s best man cave’, built it in 2014 and was given two years in 2018 to remove it.
Wars with his neighbors over the works led to Wildin’s moving his collection of classic cars in March, causing a ‘parking chaos’ for locals.
He is also alleged to have purchased adjacent land and property for his family and transferred ownership to other family members in an effort to block any steps by the council to have his luxury shrine forcibly removed.
Planning inspectors and courts have all agreed over the years that the massive man cave was built without permission and that various deadlines were set for alterations and removal.
A June 2021 order gave Wildin 18 weeks to cut off the water, electricity and gas and remove all fixtures, fittings and furniture from the building.
On Friday, the court learned that then-law enforcement officer Stephen Colgate visited the property on Aug. 11 with two police officers they found, lights on, taps running, toilets flushing and the sound of a gas boiler running.
The casino and bar had been removed, but most of the work to be done to comply with the court order had not yet been completed.
The judge sentenced Wildin to six weeks behind bars, awarded the council £10,000 in costs and told the accountant he must render the building useless if he gets out of jail or face a court appearance, where he will face another additional jail term. could get.
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