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Asbo chef who lived at Gatwick after losing £80,000 job is spared prison
Chris Pollard04.06.09
A chef who lived at Gatwick Airport for three years has been spared jail despite breaching an Asbo which banned him from the site.
Anthony Delaney, 44, lived in the South Terminal after losing his £80,000-a-year job as head chef at a Buckinghamshire restaurant in 2004. He faced up to six months behind bars after he was caught at the airport's railway station.
But he avoided prison after telling the court how he had rebuilt his life. Lewes crown court heard how Delaney, who has no drink, drugs or mental health problems, now has a girlfriend and a flat and is applying for jobs at London restaurants.
In scenes reminiscent of the Tom Hanks film The Terminal, the chef ate, showered and slept at the airport. He was given an Asbo in 2006, but breached it repeatedly - even returning there the day he was released from prison after an earlier breach.
Judge William Wood gave Delaney a chance to prove he was back on track, imposing a 12-month community order.
Delaney, from Woking, who used to cater for celebrity events, survived on cheap sandwiches with his £118-a-fortnight dole money. He said he has now "broken the cycle" which led him back to the airport.
Reader views (3)
This shows the total ineffectiveness of ASBOs.
- Dereck, London, England
With only £118 a fortnight to live on and no rented accommodation to claim Housing Benefit for, I can't see that he would have had much choice if he had no savings, lost his job and his lodgings were part of his contract.
People's real live are generally much more complicated than they appear at first sight.
He was probably one of the luckier ones. There could be thousands out there just like him
- Lmd, North London
I reckon there could be anywhere between 10-50 of these nuisance characters in each of the country's airport terminals. Many of them lie down with a bag at night, giving the impression that they are waiting for an early morning flight. I reckon the police mostly turn a blind eye due to having better things to focus on - like seizing 100ml shampoo bottles.
- Nik Cholerton, Fulham
