Potty-Mouthed Defendant Hurls Abuse at Mid-Wales Bench

A potty-mouthed defendant launched a tirade of abuse during a hearing at Llandrindod Wells Magistrates' Court.

Karl Dean Meredith, 49, of London Road, Neath, appeared at the court on Wednesday, 3rd August 2022, in relation to an allegation that he was drunk and disorderly in a public place.

Under section 91(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 it is an offence for any person, whilst being drunk in a public place, to behave in a disorderly manner. The maximum penalty for the offence is a fine at level 3 on the standard scale (currently £1,000 maximum), with a range of between a conditional discharge and a Band C fine.

Without wishing to trivialise the offence, it would be fair to say that drunk and disorderly is one of the more straightforward and routine matters that comes before the court. It rarely results in courtroom drama.

According to a report in the Powys County Times, Meredith became increasingly irate when the prosecutor in the case, Stephen Davies, was addressing the court. He refused to enter a plea and repeatedly swore at Mr Davies, accusing him of "fucking lying".

Meredith protested: "You want to give me a fine for something I didn't even do. I was just trying to get home."

Meredith was so disruptive, so the story goes, that the bench ordered his removal from the courtroom. As the Magistrates rose, he told them to "fuck off".

Given Meredith's belligerence and the court's inability to make progress, the case was adjourned until a later date.

Instances of bad behaviour like this are fortunately very rare. The court can use the provisions of section 12 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 to deal with a person who wilfully insults the bench, any officer of the court or advocate. I have written about the court's options in the case of misbehaviour in an earlier article.

There will be people reading wondering why the bench didn't deal with Meredith's apparent contempt.

I am not familiar with the set up at Llandrindod Wells Magistrates' Court, but sometimes local circumstances call for a pragmatic approach - e.g. if you don't have any cells (or custody staff) then it is difficult to hold a contemptor.

Finger's crossed that Meredith will be a bit more cooperative during his next appearance, as the next bench might not be so understanding.