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Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Stranger than fiction

May 21 2009
Judge flummoxed by homeless chef‘s refusal to leave Gatwick It sounds like a scene from the 2004 film, The Terminal. Like the fictional character played by Tom Hanks, Anthony Delaney has lived in an airport for over three years. At a hearing last month, a court heard how the homeless chef ate, slept and showered in the south terminal of Gatwick airport, only leaving occasionally to pick up his Jobseekers Allowance. Despite receiving an ASBO and serving 95 days in jail for repeatedly breaching it, Mr Delaney kept returning. Judge Richard Hayward was flummoxed by the case: "You are a fully qualified head chef and I cannot understand why you have not been able to find a job for four years when the south coast is bustling with food outlets. "This is just going on and on," he continued. "It's all very strange." Mr Delaney explained to his lawyer Peter Knight that he liked staying in the airport because it was "clean, dry and warm." He lost his job and his house in 2004 and chose to stay in the relative safety at the airport rather than face life on the streets. Mr Knight told the court that Mr Delaney did not warrant an Anti-Social Behaviour Order as he did not suffer from mental health problems, nor was he under the influence of alcohol or drugs and did not "cause a stink". Nevertheless, Judge Hayward remanded him in custody following the hearing, saying: "If I give you bail, you have nowhere to go, and the temptation to end up back at Gatwick would be overwhelming." Mr Delaney was officially banned under airport authority bylaws in 2005. Although there is no official law against taking up residence at airports, they can, like shopping centres, make their own rules about who can or cannot be allowed entry. The ASBO was imposed in 2006, preventing Mr Delaney from visiting either the airport or the railway station until 2011. Nevertheless, he returned, and was stopped by security staff more than 30 times. The defendant explained that he only took refuge in the airport to keep warm after his tent and sleeping bag burnt down. The case continues.
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