ASBO Accountant Locked-Up For Continuing To Wage Parking War

ASBO Accountant: Gloucester-Trotman

An accountant involved in a bitter parking and access dispute, which he says claimed the life of his son and £200,000 in legal bills, was jailed for twelve months yesterday for breaching an ASBO, imposed to protect his long-suffering neighbours.

Roger Jocelyn Gloucester-Trotman, 75, of  Devon Road, Sutton and his late son Ian Trotman, who committed suicide aged 44, owned the service road behind a suburban parade of shops, where the defendant's accountancy business is based.

Planning permission was successfully won - despite local objections -  to build two three-storey townhouses at each end of the road and Gloucester-Trotman tried to stop neighbouring business owners using and parking there despite them having legal access rights.

Since February 2005 Gloucester-Trotman has clocked-up at least ten criminal convictions - mostly breaches of ASBOs and restraining orders - around his business premises in Westmead Road, Carshalton.

Today he was sentenced for breaching his Anti-Social Behaviour Order by continuing to complain to police about issues regarding his son's death, access and parking to the rear of his office.

A neighbour reported Ian Trotman to police for criminal damage after her boiler flue, which was adjacent to the second development site, was vandalised and he was arrested.

However, on May 28, 2010 his body was discovered in a drain located on the site and an inquest concluded he killed himself by carbon monoxide poisoning.

"He was driven to it by the police," said Gloucester-Trotman, after previously receiving a suspended prison sentence at the same court.

Gloucester-Trotman has also been struck-off by the Institute of Chartered Accountants and fined £1,000 for breaching an ASBO.

His battle with his business neighbours concerning parking and access in the road ended up at Guildford County Court, which ruled against Gloucester-Trotman, costing him £200,000 in legal bills.

During the dispute he dug up the access road on Boxing Day, preventing any vehicles gaining access and parking.

These incidents continue to occur from what Gloucester-Trotman sees as a lack of road traffic enforcement.

He was distracted from his accountancy practice to enforcement of road traffic regulations at his home address and at his office.

The five-year ASBO order was made to prohibit Gloucester-Trotman abusing his neighbours, calling 999 except in an emergency and calling police to complain about car parking and the death of his son.