Pie-lover fined £280 and given a criminal record for throwing a pastry crust

[Glasgow]

PIE-loving John Gallagher got a £280 fine and criminal record after chucking a pastry crust out of his car.

John, 67, was chomping on a £1.20 mince bake and reading The Sun when he left his last mouthful to the birds.

The retired builder watched them devour it and drove off.

But a council snoop reported him to his bosses for littering.

John received a letter saying he would be fined £150 for the offence in May.

Stunned John said: “I thought it was a joke. I believed someone was pulling my leg. I had no idea I was doing anything wrong.”

John, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, said he put the letter away “on principle” and forgot about it. But he was found guilty in his absence of littering and fined £280 by Newton Aycliffe JPs.

John added: “I live by a river and usually take crusts home to feed the birds.

"What an imbecile that council worker is, to have nothing better to do. I would never throw wrappers or anything like that out of a window, but I thought a pie crust would be OK."

Oliver Sherratt, of Durham county council, said: “Mr Gallagher’s actions constituted litter by law and had the potential to attract rats.”