AFTER refusing to pay his council tax for 20 months, Poulton resident Sandy Steel is facing more legal action.

Cotswold District Council (CDC) has been granted a liability order against Mr Steel which means money could be deducted from his earnings or benefits, or bailiffs could be sent to his address to recover the amount he owes.

If this fails, Mr Steel could face up to three months in prison.

This follows Mr Steel refusing to be tried by magistrates at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court, insisting that it was his right to be judged by a jury of his peers.

He said he refused to pay his council tax because he believes that the UK’s elections at every level are controlled by a cartel of organised parties which prevent independent candidates, such as himself, from winning.

He added: “Complaints about such elitist crimes are either wholly suppressed or facetiously dismissed.”

During the hearing, Mr Steel produced a camera and tried to film the clerk and the magistrate but was told he was in breach of the law which forbids the filming of court hearings.

When the magistrate and clerk left the court to avoid being filmed, Mr Steel said he had dismissed his own case and also left the courtroom.

However, he then complained that decisions were being made in secret when the court reconvened to conclude the case in his absence.

He said that since no jury had ever convicted someone of recording a court case, he considered his filming of the hearing to be lawful.

A spokesman for CDC said: “Mr Steel chose to leave the magistrates' court on October 27 and was not present when the liability order was granted, but this was carried out in public in line with accepted legal practices.

“Mr Steel has spoken to one of our legal team about appealing the decision to grant the liability order, and was informed that he had a 21 day time limit to appeal. 

“The next stage in the process is for the council to send the liability order to enforcement agents who will contact Mr Steel.”