Roger Penny, a retired businessman who caused substantial damage to the Priddy Circles, in Somerset, has agreed to pay for repairs to the monument and other mitigation works at a cost of around £38,000.
At Taunton Crown Court it was revealed that Penny had agreed to pay for repairs to the 5,000 year old circle, was fined £2,500 and will pay costs of £7,500.
The action against him was taken by English Heritage. An English Heritage spokesperson said: ‘English Heritage is very pleased that Mr Penny has agreed to pay for repairs to the monument and other mitigation works at a cost of around £38,000. In addition he has been fined £2,500 and ordered to pay costs of £7,500. He will also bear his own defence costs. In sentencing the judge was clear that had it not been for Mr Penny’s agreement to pay these substantial mitigation costs, the fine would have been significantly higher.’
‘The judgement takes into account Mr Penny’s early guilty plea, his good character and his full cooperation throughout the case.
‘The outcome of this case sends out a clear message that English Heritage can and will prosecute in cases of serious damage and unauthorised works to Scheduled Monuments. The defendant and the court have recognised the great importance of these sites and the serious nature of this offence. The outcome reflects the substantial penalty offenders may expect to receive if convicted.
‘The court has also recognised the importance of mitigating the impact to this damaged site. This will give back to the monument some of what has been lost.
‘English Heritage would like to thank Avon and Somerset police in particular for their assistance in this matter. Tackling these heritage crimes can only be done properly in a partnership between experts in historic buildings and sites and experts in criminal investigations. This was a very good example of that working.’
The four Priddy Circles (also known as Priddy Rings) have recently been dated by Dr Jodie Lewis, Head of Archaeology at the University of Worcester, to around 3000 BC, which makes them very early examples of the henge monument type. Dr Lewis says ‘The Priddy Circles have long been an enigma’ and she suggests that the nearest analogy is to the first phase of Stonehenge, when the monument consisted of a circular bank and ditch enclosure, currently dated to c 3100 BC. That similarity, and the early date, means that the circles are an internationally significant example of the early experiments in monument building that led to the great monuments of the later Neolithic, such as Avebury and the later stages at Stonehenge.
The earth-moving activities of contractors brought in by Mr Penny with the intention of ‘tidying up’ the monument resulted in a substantial portion of the southernmost circle having its banks flattened and ditches and sinkholes filled in. Prehistoric banks were also cut through.
Mike Harlow, English Heritage’s Legal Director, said: ‘the outcome of this case sends out a clear message that English Heritage can and will prosecute in cases of serious damage and unauthorised works to Scheduled Monuments. The defendant and the court have recognised the great importance of these sites and the serious nature of this offence. The outcome reflects the substantial penalty offenders may expect to receive if convicted. The court has also recognised the importance of mitigating the impact to this damaged site. This will give back to the monument some of what has been lost.
This is Somerset Article: LINK
