A court heard that Abbi Taylor was involved in a series of incidents where soiled nappies were taken out of bins near care homes or nurseries
A serial offender with a “grotesque obsession” for raiding bins to find soiled nappies has been put behind bars just months after being given another chance. Abbi Taylor, 47, was previously spared an immediate prison sentence last August after being assaulted while on remand.
However, the court heard that the lure of the bins proved too strong, with Taylor returning to the same stomach-churning behaviour within a matter of months.
Newcastle Crown Court was told that Taylor has a long-standing history of targeting nurseries and care homes to scavenge for used nappies. The fixation previously resulted in a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) issued by Nottinghamshire Magistrates’ Court in April 2023.
Under the strict terms of that order, Taylor was banned from approaching within 10 metres of any nursery and prohibited from loitering near bins for the purpose of scavenging.
Despite the order, Taylor, who has also appeared in court under the name Martin Tarling and identifies as a woman, is now back in custody. Taylor is currently being held in a men’s prison following the latest breach.
Prosecutors highlighted that the defendant’s return to the grim habits began almost immediately after the previous court appearance, proving that a suspended sentence wasn’t enough of a deterrent.
During a sentencing hearing on Tuesday in Newcastle, Recorder Tony Hawks said: “The purpose of that order was to tackle what is a grotesque obsession that you apparently have with rooting around in bins near care homes or nurseries in order to retrieve soiled nappies or incontinence wear.”
In August last year, Taylor was given a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to offences including breaching that order with a series of incidents at nurseries in South Tyneside.
It followed staff at a nursery in Cleadon noticing nappies “much larger than the ones they used” being dumped on the premises “on a fortnightly basis”.
The manager at another South Shields nursery also reported someone “rooting around inside” one of the clinical waste bins.
Taylor was spared an immediate jail term on that occasion after the judge heard she “had had a particularly difficult time in custody” and “been subject to a number of physical assaults”.
On Tuesday, Taylor, of South Shields, was jailed for 30 months after admitting to four breaches of a criminal behaviour order with four separate incidents in December last year. The incidents included soiled nappies being taken from a bin and left strewn in a garden.
Mr Hawks told Taylor: “It is the view of the psychiatrist who has examined you, you are not motivated by any sexual motive. I am prepared to accept that, however your conduct is highly antisocial and extremely distressing to people who are affected by it.
“You have got to understand when you are released, if you continue to behave in this way, you will receive longer and longer periods of imprisonment.”
He said the latest incidents were “grotesque, grossly antisocial and no doubt caused considerable distress to people to have witnessed or are affected by your behaviour.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .