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| Worthing Birdman contestant Steve Elkins told to pay £20,000 costs | Worthing Birdman contestant Steve Elkins told to pay £20,000 costs |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| A competitor in the Worthing Birdman competition in West Sussex has been ordered to pay £20,000 in legal costs following a lengthy battle with the organisers. | A competitor in the Worthing Birdman competition in West Sussex has been ordered to pay £20,000 in legal costs following a lengthy battle with the organisers. |
| Steve Elkins, from Derbyshire, claimed he reached the 100m mark in 2009 which entitled him to the £30,000 prize. | Steve Elkins, from Derbyshire, claimed he reached the 100m mark in 2009 which entitled him to the £30,000 prize. |
| He lost the case and has now been told to pay more than £20,000 in costs to the Worthing Town Centre Initiative. | He lost the case and has now been told to pay more than £20,000 in costs to the Worthing Town Centre Initiative. |
| The decision was made at a court hearing earlier this week. | The decision was made at a court hearing earlier this week. |
| Mr Elkins flew for 13.68 seconds in August, registering an official distance of 99.86m. | Mr Elkins flew for 13.68 seconds in August, registering an official distance of 99.86m. |
| A review of his flight ruled he fell 14cm (5.5in) short of winning the £30,000. | A review of his flight ruled he fell 14cm (5.5in) short of winning the £30,000. |
| He took the organisers to court in 2011 and judgement was handed down in February at Brighton County Court. | |
| The ruling on the legal costs was made on Tuesday | The ruling on the legal costs was made on Tuesday |
| Mr Elkins told BBC Radio Sussex he was "devastated", adding: "It was not a nice end to the situation at all." | Mr Elkins told BBC Radio Sussex he was "devastated", adding: "It was not a nice end to the situation at all." |
| He said "in hindsight" he might not have taken legal action. | |
| "I think mainly, from my point of view, there's quite a lot of evidence - not my own, BBC and local evidence," he said. | |
| He said he had started the process of selling his business to try to pay the costs and would "never dream of" taking part in the competition again. | He said he had started the process of selling his business to try to pay the costs and would "never dream of" taking part in the competition again. |
| "I think they've got to be honest before people go there," he said. | "I think they've got to be honest before people go there," he said. |
| "Unfortunately I think it's been rather damaging for the whole event which is a shame - a great shame. | "Unfortunately I think it's been rather damaging for the whole event which is a shame - a great shame. |
| "But they do need to make sure that things like on-demand video is actually available for people to watch." | |
| Competition organiser Sharon Clarke said: "We never wanted to go down the route of legal proceedings - we did try to speak to Mr Elkins. | |
| "We won the case but this is not where we want to be. | "We won the case but this is not where we want to be. |
| "Obviously we've had a lot of cost - real cost that we've had to pay out and it's now our duty to try to recover that because that's money to be spent on Worthing." | "Obviously we've had a lot of cost - real cost that we've had to pay out and it's now our duty to try to recover that because that's money to be spent on Worthing." |
| The Birdman event was created in 1971 in Selsey, near Chichester, and the event was moved to Bognor Regis in 1978. | The Birdman event was created in 1971 in Selsey, near Chichester, and the event was moved to Bognor Regis in 1978. |
| The competition was moved to Worthing for two years in 2008 amid fears over the stability of Bognor pier. | The competition was moved to Worthing for two years in 2008 amid fears over the stability of Bognor pier. |
| But when the event returned to Bognor in 2010, the Worthing version remained. | But when the event returned to Bognor in 2010, the Worthing version remained. |