Pensioner jailed over council tax protest

A protesting pensioner was jailed today for refusing to pay her £800 council tax debt.

Josephine Rooney, 69, was previously handed a suspended three-month prison sentence after she failed to pay a £798.97 debt to Derby city council in protest at the state of her street.

The former Eucharistic minister says antisocial behaviour, litter and disrepair of properties have blighted the Hartington Street area of Derby.

Miss Rooney was given more time to settle her outstanding tax bill after sentencing, but the ex-wartime evacuee failed to meet a recent deadline for payment.

In a statement handed to district judge Joanne Alderson at Derby magistrates' court today she said: "When people are pushed into a corner and their rights are taken away, there comes a time when one has to take drastic action.

"I have always believed we live in a free a democratic country and yet I see current policies set by our local authority that are in conflict with these principles." She said the council had promised to improve her neighbourhood, with schemes to tackle antisocial behaviour and housing conditions.

But she added: "In this regard they have failed miserably in their stated aims and at the same time caused immeasurable distress and hardship to the poorest and most vulnerable residents in our community."

The Labour-run city council has denied Miss Rooney's claims, saying measures were already in place to improve the district of Derby where she lives.

After confirmation from the council that Miss Rooney had not yet paid her tax bill, the judge told her: "Sadly I have no alternative but to note your wilful refusal to pay and to activate that sentence today."

As guards took the pensioner down, she added: "At any stage you can pay the amount outstanding and secure your immediate release."