Farmer fights for right to call his village ‘nasty and murderous’
Pensioner up in court for refusing to remove sign
ADEFIANT farmer has vowed to become a ‘freedom of speech warrior’ after being dragged to court over a 15-foot sign insulting his own village.
Wrangling broke out in Peopleton, near Worcester, when Carl Powell erected a huge poster describing the parish as “a murderous, lawless and godforsaken place – probably, most definitely, the nastiest village in Worcestershire”.
Four months on, motorists arriving in the village by the Worcester Road are still greeted by the protest banner at the top of the farmer’s old grain dryer, despite West Mercia Police requests to take the sign down.
Mr Powell also refused to pay a £90 fine earlier this year.
Mounting tensions with Peopleton Parish Council over planning decisions, along with Mr Powell’s allegations of attacks on the farm, led to the spat with the sign.
When he refused to take it down, members of Peopleton Parish Council made official complaints.
Now he has received a court summons to appear at Worcester Magistrates Court this Thursday to face a Section 5 public order offence for causing harassment, alarm and distress to villagers.
However, the 75-year-old is so looking forward to his day in the dock, he has made a new sign to parade outside magistrates’ court.
It reads: “West Mercia Police, Truth is now a crime. Get arrested. DNA fingerprints”.
Mr Powell said: “I’m defending myself in court and going to be fighting for the rights of freedom of speech in this country as that sign is true and factual and I’ll prove that.
“If magistrates hear me out and then choose to convict me of a criminal offence, then so be it and I’ll take that – but what has this country come to when it becomes a criminal offence for telling the truth.
“I’m not nervous at all. I’m standing up for free speech.”
Mr Powell described how he was also sent a letter from police asking him to report for fingerprinting and a DNA test at a police station, but refused to go.
“They can arrest me if they want, but I don’t see why I should go and give them my DNA over putting up a sign.”
The farmer has added some humour to his original sign since February following his appearance on the Jeremy Vine Show about the issue.
The sign adds, “as seen on Jeremy Vine” and refers to the presenter as “a brilliant interviewer but a lousy dancer”.