I'm off to help victims of tsunami says anti-social grandad

ASBO great-grandad John Boylan has narrowly escaped a prison sentence.

He appeared in Huddersfield County Court yesterday charged with two breaches of his anti-social behaviour order, which stopped him entering either the Lowerhouses or Ashenhurst estates.

He was given the Asbo in June after repeated complaints from neighbours and Kirklees Council staff.

Police saw Boylan, 66, in the `exclusion zones' on October 28 and November 3.

The second time he was arrested and taken into custody.

But yesterday he announced he was going to be a long way from the exclusion zones for the foreseeable future as he produced a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka.

He says he will be helping people devastated by the South Asian tsunami.

Boylan said he was homeless and had been offered a room in a house in Fannymoor Lane, which was why he broke the order.

He is now living in bed and breakfast accommodation in Clare Hill.

In mitigation, Ben Caswell said Boylan had no excuse for breaking the order, but he had suffered from ill health and psychological problems since his son committed suicide two years ago.

Passing a 14-day suspended prison sentence Recorder Freedman said: "When you were made the subject of an Asbo it was because you were being a thorough nuisance.

"Rightly, the council wanted to keep you away from certain areas of this town.

"You have breached those orders and you know when you do that you are at risk of going to prison.

"But I am going to give you one last chance. But this time it really is a last chance, because if you breach again you will be going straight to prison for 14 days."

But Boylan had a surprise for the court.

He said he was going to be a long way from both Lowerhouses and Ashenhurst for quite a while.

He said he was jetting off to Sri Lanka, where he would be helping victims of the South Asian tsunami, which struck on Boxing Day last year.

Speaking outside court Boylan - who claims to have done secret undercover work in the fight against terrorism - said: "I am going to Sri Lanka to help with the aid effort.

"I will be working to rehabilitate people who were involved in the tsunami.

"I have been out before and done this kind of work.

"I am going to appeal against the original Asbo when I get back.

"I will take it to the High Court if I have to because it is not fair."

Boylan was unable to say which aid agency he would be working for in Sri Lanka.

He leaves tomorrow.