‘King of Everland’ given final chance to avoid prison term
THE ‘King of Everland’, Steve Ogier, was given a last chance to remove a truck body from his land and potentially avoid prison when he appeared in the Royal Court.
The self-proclaimed ‘king’ owns land at Ruette du Frocq, Castel, and Advocate Robin Gist, for the Development & Planning Authority, said that Mr Ogier was now living on the land in a moveable structure.
The States wished Mr Ogier to show cause why he should not go to prison for contempt of court as a result of his breaching a planning injunction made in March.
And, said Advocate Gist, by living there Mr Ogier had effectively changed the land’s use class from agricultural to residential without permission.
An affidavit from planning enforcement officer Dave Perrio was submitted to the court and when Mr Ogier declined the chance to question Mr Perrio or give evidence himself, it remained at the heart of the evidence against Mr Ogier.
Other evidence was a statement made by Mr Ogier at a previous hearing as well as a Facebook post, which both clearly indicated that he was living on the land, said Advocate Gist.
Mr Ogier said he did not recognise the jurisdiction of the court and once again said that Everland was an independent state.
‘I have done no wrong,’ he said. ‘I don’t agree with their [the DPA’s] jurisdiction over the land or me.’
Deputy Bailiff Richard McMahon reminded Mr Ogier of his finding that Everland was not independent of Guernsey.
Mr Ogier said that if the DPA would give an undertaking to leave him in peace, he would remove the truck body.
Advocate Gist said that there were other compliance notices still in effect regardless of what Mr Ogier did with this structure.
Mr McMahon said that Advocate Gist would need to show the court how this truck body could be regarded as a dwelling under the planning law.
Evidence before the court suggested that it had been on the site before the planning injunction had been made, in which case it was not in breach of the order for no additional development.
Mr McMahon told Mr Ogier that this was an opportunity for him to remove the structure, which could then be seen as him having purged his contempt and could therefore have an effect on the outcome of this particular matter.
The case was adjourned for two weeks.
