A children's author has been prosecuted for destroying bat roosts during the renovation of a Grade II-listed church, with his own social media posts leading to his downfall. Jonathan Wedge, 45, documented his project to convert the Church of St Thomas in the Dorset village of East Orchard on a public Instagram account.
Wedge purchased the derelict Victorian Gothic building in 2022 and began converting it into a family home. He shared updates with his nearly 16,000 followers on an account named 'churchofwedge'. However, one post inadvertently showed that he had undertaken work without the necessary precautions to protect roosting bats.
He pleaded guilty at Bournemouth Crown Court to four counts of damaging or destroying bat roosts, one for each species affected. The court heard that Wedge started the renovation work in December 2023, prior to implementing the required bat lofts and exclusion methods. Bat species in the UK are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, making it illegal to harm them or damage their roosts. Offences can carry penalties including unlimited fines or up to six months imprisonment.
Wedge was ordered to pay a £1,200 fine and £500 in compensation to the Bat Conservation Trust. He introduced bat lofts in 2024, and a recent survey confirmed the presence of soprano pipistrelle, common pipistrelle, serotine, and brown long-eared bats in the new lofts. Authorities noted that penalties could have been more severe had the bats not returned.
The Church of St Thomas, built in 1859, had been disused since 2018 and had deteriorated due to subsidence. Wedge and his partner Natasha Deeley purchased it with plans to create an eco-friendly family home, including features like an air source heat pump, potential solar panels, a smallholding, and rainwater collection. Their initial proposals to planners included conditions for a bat loft and an exclusion process to be conducted between April and October to avoid disturbing bats during hibernation.