Two-year cockerel wrangle ended

The court heard Charlie was no longer in the best of health

A two-year legal battle over a noisy cockerel in the Scottish Borders has ended with its owner being fined £70.

Kenneth Williamson, 60, of Selkirk, admitted failing to comply with a court order designed to curtail his bird Charlie's early morning crowing.

The cockerel was given a night time curfew last year but a lightproof shed for him was not put on the agreed site.

Selkirk Justice of the Peace Court was told the bird's noise had diminished recently as he was "on his last legs".

Charlie was first threatened with an anti-social behaviour order in September 2006.

Charlie is failing quite badly these days, but we all have our sell-by date Kenneth Williamson

That move was suspended after neighbours raised an action at the Justice of the Peace Court.

A deal was eventually thrashed out for Charlie to be kept in a lightproof shed overnight.

However, Mr Williamson breached the order by siting the building in the wrong place.

Lawyer Ian Wells told the court that the bird was now much quieter than he used to be.

"The cockerel is making less and less noise," he said.

"He is not keeping in the best of health.

"He is certainly not making as much noise as in his younger years."

'Criminal offence'

JP Andrew Bramhall told Williamson that he had been fully aware of the conditions of the court order last November.

"It has become clear that you did not carry out your legal obligations which were quite specific," he said.

"You now find yourself in this Justice of the Peace Court and what has happened is regarded as a criminal offence."

Williamson was fined £70 which he will be allowed to pay at £5 a fortnight.

After the case had concluded he said: "This is another chapter in what has become a large volume of my life.

"I am disgusted it has come to all this but what do you do?

"Charlie is failing quite badly these days, but we all have our sell-by date."