Millionaire, 70, who illegally built ‘Britain’s best man cave’ equipped with a bowling alley, casino and cinema and went to prison for refusing to knock it down faces jail AGAIN
- Graham Wildin built a 10,000sq ft extension at his home in Cirencester in 2014
- He previously said demolishing the man cave would ruin him, costing £720,000
A millionaire who illegally built ‘Britain’s best man cave’ is facing jail again after repeatedly refusing to knock it down.
Accountant Graham Wildin, 70, built the huge 10,000sq ft extension to the rear of his home in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, in 2014 – without applying for planning permission.
The leisure complex comes fitted with its own bar, bowling alley, cinema and even a casino area.
But Mr Wildin was jailed in August last year for failing to comply with a court order to decommission the building.
Accountant Graham Wildin, 70, built the huge 10,000sq ft extension to the rear of his home in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, in 2014
The leisure complex comes fitted with its own bar, bowling alley, cinema and even a casino area
He was given 18 weeks from the date of his release from prison to comply with a previous court order to make the man cave unusable by ‘soft stripping’.
At the time, Mr Wildin said that demolishing the man cave would ruin him, costing an estimated £720,000.
It remains a mystery as to whether the extension remains in place, with the deadline having passed on Friday, January 27.
Although some some removals vans were spotted outside his property earlier this month, Mr Wildin faces a second prison stint if it has not been fully stripped.
But officials might delay a decision until Mr Wildin’s appeal against the prison term at Court of Appeal on March 1.
Speaking earlier this month, an anonymous neighbour said: ‘He’s got a couple of white vans there, and we think he’s been putting stuff in them.
Mr Wildin was jailed after building ‘Britain’s largest man cave’ without planning permission and refusing to tear it down
Mr Wildin pictured lounging in the cinema room within the huge extension at the rear of his property
Mr Wildin, pictured in his casino, said it would cost him £720,000 to demolish the leisure complex entirely
‘He loads some items into them, they’ve not moved at all, but we are under the impression that as soon as the council comes to check if the interiors of the building have been stripped – he’s going to put everything back in again.’
They added: ‘He thinks he’s being clever – but he’s not that clever. We can see everything he does.
‘He’s had people there working, so I think they’re probably clearing it out for him into the vans.
‘A lot has been going on there this week, but he’s had 18 weeks to do this so I’m assuming something is being done.’
‘I don’t expect the council will turn up today. They usually leave it a few days, but I expect when they do sometime next week he’ll just replace it all.’
Posting online, people were scathing about his refusal to knock it down.
Accountant Mr Wildin built the 10,000sq ft complex behind his home (pictured) in 2014 without permission
Removal vans were sighted near the 10,000sq ft annexe in Gloucestershire earlier this month
One said: ‘How much is this man costing the taxpayer?’
Another said: ‘I blasted well hope so, arrogant little twerp!”
A third added: ‘Tick tock….knock, knock…it down.’
Some did jump to his defence, though, with one calling on residents to ‘leave him alone’.
A spokesperson for Forest of Dean District Council said: ‘This is an ongoing legal matter and the council will continue to pursue it.’
Mr Wildin has been approached for a comment.
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