Three noisy students who ignored fixed penalty fines and court summonses have landed themselves £430 out of pocket.
The students failed to appear at court today but were found guilty of breaching a noise nuisance warning. They were each fined £175 and ordered to pay £250 court costs and £15 victim surcharge.
In the first court case of its kind brought by Brighton and Hove City Council, the court heard how the council’s noise patrol was called to a Brighton street at 1am on April 10 after complaints from neighbours.
As they approached the property the officers could clearly hear loud music including ‘My Bombastic’ by Shaggy and ‘Born to be Wild’ by Steppenwolf, along with associated singing and whooping.
The students were asked to turn the music off, which they did, but by 2.20am it was back on again. This time the officers heard ‘Sex on Fire’ Kings of Leon and ‘Give me some Love’ by Jimi Hendrix.
The students were issued with a warnings and £100 fixed penalty notices, but failed to respond.
Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, Cabinet Member for Environment said: “This case sends out a strong message that ignoring a fixed penalty and court summons will only land you in more trouble.
“This council is committed to dealing with noisy neighbours and we will do everything we can to bring persistent offenders before the courts.”
Two other students have pleaded not guilty and have been committed for trial, which means the names and the address of the property cannot yet be released.
Under the Noise Act 1996, the council can serve a warning notice to get people to turn noise down immediately. Failure to do so carries a fixed penalty of £100. Failure to pay can lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.
