Anti-licence fee campaigner loses court battle

net1

An anti-licence fee campaigner was today told by a high court judge that he cannot appeal against an earlier ruling in which his case against the BBC and the government was thrown out of court.
Jean-Jacques Marmont, a Canadian living in Oxfordshire, was refused leave to appeal by Lord Justice Mance against the earlier judgment.

Mr Marmont launched a civil case against the BBC, the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, and licence fee collection company Capita Business Services under the European Convention on Human Rights.

He claimed the mandatory charge breached his human rights, amounted to harassment and infringed his private and family life.

Mr Marmont's legal challenge to the £116 licence fee was thrown out of court in October during a preliminary hearing, after the judge refused Mr Marmont's request for an adjournment while he found a barrister to argue his case.

The BBC, Capita and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport all hired top barristers to defend them against the case brought by Mr Marmont, who was prosecuted for licence fee evasion in 1992.

Mr Marmont claimed the licence fee interfered with his right under article eight of the convention to receive information in the privacy of his home.

He said he had made documentaries for public service television and supported the case for public funding of the BBC but believed the licence fee to be unjust.

Sunday Times columnist Jonathan Miller lost a separate legal action aimed at proving the BBC licence fee breached human rights law in July last year.

cjgall

Jean-Jacques Marmont should think himeself lucky he doesn't live in the Netherlands. Here everybody who works pays the licence fee, through the tax system. Reqardless of whether he/she actually owns (or even watches) a TV or radio.