Apple core case dropped due to 'new information' - Update

A charge against a woman who faced trial for allegedly throwing an apple core out of her car window has been dropped, it has emerged.

Kate Badger, from Cornwall Road in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, refused to pay a £60 on-the-spot fine after the alleged incident in March last year. She was prosecuted by the city council and elected to stand trial at crown court at a hearing in February.

But, the council offered no evidence at a pre-trial hearing earlier. The 25-year-old was due to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday.



She was accused of "knowingly depositing controlled waste, namely an apple core, on land that didn't have a waste management license".

However, the council said it had withdrawn the case because Ms Badger's lawyers had since blamed someone else for throwing the apple.

It said it had issued that person a fixed penalty notice, which had not been paid, but it was too late to bring another prosecution because more than six months had passed since the offence. Judge Nicholas Webb said he was "pleased to see that common sense has prevailed".