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10:02pm Monday 18th February 2008
A homeless chef was locked up today after making Gatwick airport his home for THREE years.
"Cheeky" Anthony Delaney ate, showered and slept at the busy airport, brushing off security staff who stopped him more then 30 times.
He told his lawyers he was happier staying there because he was "clean, dry and warm".
In fact he rarely left the busy south terminal, popping out only occasionally to collect his Jobseeker's Allowance, the court was told.
In scenes reminiscent of the Steven Spielberg movie The Terminal, Delaney passed his days watching holidaymakers and airline staff going about their business.
A court was told he did not suffer mental health problems, was neither a drug nor alcohol addict, and did not cause "a stink".
But Judge Richard Hayward remanded him in custody for sentence believing his urge to return to Gatwick would be too strong should he be released.
He said: "It is a bit cheeky to go straight back to Gatwick. There are other places you can have a shower. This is just going on and on. It is all very strange."
Lewes Crown Court was told that Delaney had repeatedly defied an anti-social behaviour order (Asbo).
Even when he was jailed for breaching his Asbo, he returned to the airport as soon as he was released.
Delaney yesterday admitted breaching his order for the third time.
The court heard Delaney was sentenced to 95 days in prison for the last breach when he appeared at the same court on January 10.
Because he had spent time behind bars on remand waiting for his court appearance, he was released immediately.
Delaney then made his way back to the airport where he was arrested in the south terminal later the same day.
Sarah Lindop, prosecuting, told the court the Asbo was imposed in 2006 and remains in force until 2011.
The order prohibits him from entering the airport or its railway station.
Delaney first started living at the airport in 2004 and since February that year he has been stopped by security staff more than 30 times.
Under airport authority bylaws Delaney was officially banned in March 2005, but he continued to return.
The Asbo was imposed the following year.
Peter Knight, defending, said Delaney has been staying at the airport because he wanted to stay clean, dry and warm.
He said Delaney was only looking for shelter and did not cause trouble. He said: "It is not a situation where he goes to the airport and causes a stink.
"He is not there to cause problems at all. He is just simply there and is asked to leave on numerous occasions.
"The Asbo was put in place because he was using the airport as a residence."
Mr Knight said Delaney's problems started in 2004 when he lost his job in Buckinghamshire as a chef along with his accommodation.
He headed back to Sussex where he had previously lived in order to find work, but when he was unable to find a job he started using the airport as a place to stay.
In November last year he bought a tent and a sleeping bag but it was burnt down and Delaney has not been able to buy replacements.
He said: "It is an offence borne out of desperation. He does not want to continue living like this."
Judge Hayward told Delaney he needed help to break the cycle of returning to the airport.
The judge adjourned sentence for pre-sentence reports in order for the probation service to try to offer help. But he told Delaney he was not releasing him on bail.
He said: "If I give you bail you have nowhere to go and the temptation to end up back at Gatwick would be overwhelming."
Delaney was remanded in custody until March 10.
The Argus last week revealed a bizarre situation across Sussex in which local authorities, following Government guidelines, are claiming tiny numbers of people actually live on the county's streets. The department for Communities and Local Government defines a rough sleeper as someone "sleeping or bedded down in the open air, such as on the streets or in parks, doorways or bus shelters".
Anybody not lying down asleep in a sleeping bag is not counted. Under that rationale Crawley Borough Council said there are fewer than 10 rough sleepers in the district.
Paul Young, founder of Brighton-based homeless charity Off the Fence, said: "It's a sad situation when someone feels sleeping in an airport is the only option.
"However it is understandable when the weather is so cold on the streets.
"I'm surprised he got away with it for so long, he almost has squatters rights after that length of time."
A spokeswoman for Gatwick airport declined to comment.
In the film The Terminal, Tom Hanks plays an Eastern European tourist who becomes a resident of New York airport when a war breaks out and erases his country from the map, voiding his passport.
John, Cyberairport says...
10:25pm Mon 18 Feb 08
Frank Graham, Hove says...
10:45pm Mon 18 Feb 08
Andrew, Brighton says...
11:22pm Mon 18 Feb 08
Tez, Third planet says...
11:53pm Mon 18 Feb 08
Stephan, Hove says...
1:57am Tue 19 Feb 08
Phil McCaverty, South Terminal says...
4:28am Tue 19 Feb 08
Ben Dover, North Terminal says...
7:24am Tue 19 Feb 08
johnathon dross, says...
8:28am Tue 19 Feb 08
Slagbag, Anytime anywhere anybloke says...
8:30am Tue 19 Feb 08
Mad,Bad & dangerous, Lewes says...
8:51am Tue 19 Feb 08
Graham, Portslade says...
8:57am Tue 19 Feb 08
Tony, Hove says...
9:37am Tue 19 Feb 08
Flat Foot Soozie, Brusnwick Square says...
9:42am Tue 19 Feb 08
Jim, Brighton says...
9:56am Tue 19 Feb 08
In the Shower, Cambridge Rd says...
10:35am Tue 19 Feb 08
Stephan wrote:Your not Stephen Sharp are you per chance?
I am shocked and surprised at the snail\'s pace currently of this country\'s courts. If this man had been dealt with after the first offence, then we wouldn\'t be reading about his crimes, three plus years later. This man knowingly breached an ASBO that he received and nothing was done. How often do we read about undesirables treating our justice system like a joke? Let\'s just hope this sends out a clear warning to others who choose not to pay their rent on time and in full and then expect sympathy for sleeping at one of Britain\'s main airports, and i may add, due to his own irrisponsibility. I do hope that he receives a long custodial sentence as going by his track record nothing else will suffice, like previously mentioned in this post regarding the law and its treatment as a joke by this gentleman, he needs to treat it with respect. I do have some sympathy with him as i once missed a late night train and had to sleep rough in the station for many, many hours so i to, have experience of rough sleeping but i did not choose to make the station my home. If more of these types were dealt with a bit more harshly by the courts, there would not be the eyesore that this country in many towns and city\'s have, along with their begging and other anti social behaviours. Hopefully upon his release he will not go back to Gatwick and cause problems for innocent citizens who are probably quite frightened by his behaviour. I feel very strongly that he may have been encouraged to act out by misguided folks, who probably do not see what a problem he can be as they are in transit. I would not dare hazard a guess as to how much this man has cost the taxpayer!
The good shepard, Crawley says...
10:57am Tue 19 Feb 08
Ian, Hove says...
11:04am Tue 19 Feb 08
JOHNBOY, brighton says...
11:28am Tue 19 Feb 08
The good shepard, Crawley says...
12:04pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Elderly Brighton, Brighton says...
1:17pm Tue 19 Feb 08
bob, lewes says...
1:24pm Tue 19 Feb 08
tom, Brighton says...
2:29pm Tue 19 Feb 08
ON A POSTCARD, brighton says...
2:59pm Tue 19 Feb 08
ON A POSTCARD, brighton says...
3:03pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Funny Argus, Bognor says...
3:24pm Tue 19 Feb 08
loulou, brighton says...
4:04pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Dave, Hove says...
4:38pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Jay the Man, Sleeping in a locker @ Gatwick says...
4:39pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Milf, in town says...
4:45pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Dave wrote:Because it IS ok for him to sleep in an airport and my home is NOT an airport. Simple enough for you to understand?
If you think its ok for him to sleep in the airport, as some of you have stated, why do you not let him sleep in your front room/house?? How can it be ok to live in an airport?? Some of you lot are beyond me with tyour comments.
Stephan, Hove says...
4:48pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Milf Hunter, Bangbus says...
4:50pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Milf wrote:Gilf,
Dave wrote: If you think its ok for him to sleep in the airport, as some of you have stated, why do you not let him sleep in your front room/house?? How can it be ok to live in an airport?? Some of you lot are beyond me with tyour comments.Because it IS ok for him to sleep in an airport and my home is NOT an airport. Simple enough for you to understand?
Me, Brighton, central says...
4:50pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Milf, in a nightie says...
4:58pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Milf Hunter wrote:Not in the slightest.
Milf wrote:Gilf, So you are not very sympathetic to him then are you? Simple enough for your retarded brain?Dave wrote: If you think its ok for him to sleep in the airport, as some of you have stated, why do you not let him sleep in your front room/house?? How can it be ok to live in an airport?? Some of you lot are beyond me with tyour comments.Because it IS ok for him to sleep in an airport and my home is NOT an airport. Simple enough for you to understand?
Steve B, Council Pound says...
8:09pm Tue 19 Feb 08
Stephan wrote:Couldn't agree more mate.
I am shocked and surprised at the snail's pace currently of this country's courts. If this man had been dealt with after the first offence, then we wouldn't be reading about his crimes, three plus years later. This man knowingly breached an ASBO that he received and nothing was done. How often do we read about undesirables treating our justice system like a joke? Let's just hope this sends out a clear warning to others who choose not to pay their rent on time and in full and then expect sympathy for sleeping at one of Britain's main airports, and i may add, due to his own irrisponsibility. I do hope that he receives a long custodial sentence as going by his track record nothing else will suffice, like previously mentioned in this post regarding the law and its treatment as a joke by this gentleman, he needs to treat it with respect. I do have some sympathy with him as i once missed a late night train and had to sleep rough in the station for many, many hours so i to, have experience of rough sleeping but i did not choose to make the station my home. If more of these types were dealt with a bit more harshly by the courts, there would not be the eyesore that this country in many towns and city's have, along with their begging and other anti social behaviours. Hopefully upon his release he will not go back to Gatwick and cause problems for innocent citizens who are probably quite frightened by his behaviour. I feel very strongly that he may have been encouraged to act out by misguided folks, who probably do not see what a problem he can be as they are in transit. I would not dare hazard a guess as to how much this man has cost the taxpayer!
Mike, Shoreham Airport says...
8:28pm Tue 19 Feb 08
charlie, brighton says...
12:55am Wed 20 Feb 08
Elderly Brighton wrote:Im not that old,but think I will join you,at least you have a sense of humour,unlike silver spoon stephan.And I thought prisons were full. he obviously has survival skills.All the restaurants in gatwick that serve awful food must need a chef,and he would be on hand!
Wow, what a great idea using the airport space to keep warm and clean, sounds good to me. Here am I trying to keep warm and feed myself on a truely inadequate pension whereupon I often have to make a choice between whether to eat or keep warm. I could save a fortune if I spent my days at the airport - it would cut out all my heating bills and I might just live to make 70 afterall!! Me and all my mates at the over 70\'s club are going to spend our days up at the airport in future. I didn\'t realise there was somewhere so nice, warm, & with shops and showers we could all see out our days at. Come on oldies, what are you waiting for???
quote
Gino, Portslade says...
8:34am Wed 20 Feb 08
Alan, San Diego, USA says...
5:57pm Thu 21 Feb 08
rebekah, uk says...
10:37pm Sun 13 Apr 08
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Harry the Fag, Brighton says...
10:20pm Mon 18 Feb 08
Mind you although infinitely better than Heathrow, who on earth wants to hang around Gatwick airport longer than they have to?