Well-known town figure Brian Wilkins attended Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 29 May, where he was charged with one count of breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order made by the court on April 1 last year.
The two-year order stated the 77-year-old grandfather was not allowed to leave food in any public space or accessible places in Hartlepool, as it attracts vermin.
He is accused of breaching it on February 11 this year, when it is alleged Mr Wilkins was captured on CCTV in Green Street dropping food from bags onto a path and grass edges.
He pleaded not guilty to the offence and elected for a trial by jury in the Crown Court.
If convicted of breaching the Criminal Behaviour Order, Mr Wilkins faces being given a community order or up to 26 weeks in prison.
Mr Wilkins, of Sheriff Street, Hartlepool, was granted unconditional bail to appear next at Teesside Crown Court on June 29.
After his original conviction, kind-hearted townsfolk rallied round to help pay Mr Wilkins’ court costs, raising almost £2,000 through a GoFundMe page set up by his daughter Paula Allison.
The unlikely tale of the “Birdman of Hartlepool” standing trial on April Fool’s Day last year for feeding birds attracted headlines around the globe, and was featured in the New York Post as well as the likes of the UK’s Daily Mail.
The New York Post reported that Brian’s daughter, Paula, 57, said townsfolk supported her father and questioned the cost of the court trial.
