"Serial offender" banned from the bank

An illegal angler with a string of rod licence offences has been banned from fishing for two and a half years.

Khan Marshall, 21, was fined £200 for leaving a rod unattended and a further £200 for fishing with three rods but only holding a single licence when he appeared before Woking Magistrates on February 9.

He was also ordered to pay the maximum £70 costs to the Environment Agency for both cases.

In a rare move Marhsall, of Staines, Middx, was banned by the court from holding a rod licence for the next two and a half years after JPs heard he had previous convictions dating back to 2002.

Marshall left a rod unattended at Twynersh Fishing Complex in Chertsey, Surrey, on July 10, the court was told.

A month later, EA bailiffs found him at the same fishery, using three rods but with only a single rod licence.

After the hearing, fisheries enforcement officer Graham Haynes, said: "Mr Marshall has a long history of flouting the laws of fishing in this country.

"From his first warning letter in 2002 he has appeared before magistrates three times for failing to hold a £24 rod licence and giving false names and addresses to officers, racking up a total of £650 in fines and costs.

"It is very rare for an angler to be banned from holding a rod licence, but this extreme measure was taken because of Mr Marshall’s persistent offending.

"If he is caught fishing within those two and a half years he can not only expect his equipment to be confiscated but he will also find himself with another day in court."