Pet ambulance case 'disgraceful'

A judge has condemned as "disgraceful" a decision by a West Sussex council to take a pensioner to the High Court over his pet ambulance.

Derrick Spooner, 72, of Bewley Road, Angmering donated all the proceeds of the service he ran for other elderly people to charity.

Worthing magistrates found him not guilty of any offence last year but Arun District Council appealed.

Lord Justice Thomas said the £10,000 case should never have been brought.

It was a "quite extraordinary way to spend public money", he told the council's barrister Kris Berlevy.

The magistrates were entitled to find that the purpose was not the carriage of passengers but pets Lord Justice Thomas

"Here is your authority prosecuting a 72-year-old man who was helping other elderly people take their pets to the vet," he said.

"To pursue it in this court is disgraceful."

The court had heard Mr Spooner adapted his estate car to include a cage to hold animals after retiring in 1999 and registered the vehicle as an ambulance.

The council prosecuted him, saying he should have obtained a private hire vehicle licence because the pets' owners occasionally accompanied them.

He ran into trouble with the authority after distributing leaflets advertising the service, charging £6 a time to cover his costs and donating any profits to charity.

Lord Justice Thomas agreed with the magistrates on Wednesday.

"The magistrates were entitled to find that the purpose was not the carriage of passengers but pets," he said.