Man expecting 'elves' to clear dumped fridge spared prison - judge threatens to prosecute wife too
A man who waited for 'magic elves' to come along and remove his dumped fridge freezer has narrowly avoided going to jail as a judge threatened to also prosecute his wife.
Robert Andruszkiewicz was ordered into the dock at Dudley Magistrates Court, where he admitted fly tipping dating back to December 13 2021, an offence he committed just three weeks after being given a suspended sentence.
Flanked by a dock officer, whose job it was to take him to the cells, the 40-year-old was spared a stint in prison but did not avoid the sharp tongue of the district judge.
The court heard that he wanted to take the fridge freezer to a recycling centre but, after discovering it was closed, abandoned it on Bills Street, Darlaston.
During Wednesday's hearing, District Judge Graham Wilkinson was told Andruszkiewicz, of Charles Foster Street, Walsall, contacted Walsall Council to apologise and offered to pay. However, a misunderstanding meant he thought he only had to pay a £50 fine, when in fact the authority gave him a £50 discount.
