‘King Steve of Everland’ at risk of going to prison
A MAN who styles himself ‘King of Everland’ could go to prison for breaching planning laws.
Steve Ogier wants to build a home for himself and his daughter on land he owns at Ruette du Frocq, Castel, but he has never applied for planning permission.
In October, when the Development & Planning Authority made an application for an injunction to prevent him carrying out unauthorised work on the site, Mr Ogier agreed to comply by way of an undertaking.
The DPA argue now that by placing a shipping container on the site in the past 10 days, Mr Ogier has breached that undertaking and is in contempt of court.
For the DPA, Advocate Robin Gist said it was his client’s case that there had been serious breaches of the undertaking.
For that reason it wanted the court to consider exercising its powers under the law which include committing Mr Ogier to prison.
It also wants the undertaking to be discharged and to renew its application to impose the injunction.
Mr Ogier argues that under the terms of the Montevideo Convention of 1933 concerning the rights and duties of states, the parcel of land, which he calls Everland, is an independent state of which he is king.
He told the court that, while he was also known as Steven Terence Ogier, for the purpose of these proceedings he should be referred to as King Steve of Everland.
The German invaders had made similar claims when occupying the island and there had been no repercussions from that, he said.
The DPA were guilty of breaking common and international law and had displayed intentional malice towards him.
During the last eight months since he declared independence it had subjected him to fear, intimidation, and threats of prison and horrendous fines.
He said the Royal Court was affectively a private company that worked for the benefit of the States of Guernsey and he would not get a fair hearing before it.
This case, he said, was world news that would become part of Guernsey history. It could only be heard by an independent international court. He was an honourable, innocent, once common man.
Life was hard enough already with working full-time and running a kingdom
‘How long can an innocent be kept captive?’ he said. ‘I have support from the majority of people and everybody should be treated the same.’
He would stop his action if he could be shown conclusive evidence that he could not declare independence.
Deputy Bailiff Richard McMahon said the defendant was at risk of going to prison but the DPA would need to prove there had been a breach of the undertaking, to the criminal standard, first.
He asked Mr Ogier if he wanted time to take legal advice. Mr Ogier said he would like a three months adjournment so he could learn the law. Mr McMahon said he strongly recommended that Mr Ogier took professional legal advice and said he would not grant the length of adjournment he was requesting.
The court did not accept that the small parcel of land was anything other than part of Guernsey.
If Mr Ogier could obtain something to the contrary from Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Jeremy Hunt, or possibly from the US President, it might help him on his way.
The court did not recognise what Mr Ogier argued was a separate sovereign state. As far as the court was concerned the undertaking Mr Ogier gave in October was still valid and he would need to make an application if he wanted to change that. The matter will come back before the court next month. [12 Feb. 2.30pm]
Mr Ogier said they could strike a deal. If the DPA dropped proceedings and granted him permission to build a small home that would be the end of it.
Advocate Gist said the DPA could not do that even if it wanted to.
