Desecration, defecation and class A drugs: Children found living in squalor at St Paul's protest camp
'Several' children, one as young as 9, thought to be living on the site
Graffiti scratched and painted on great west doors
Class A drugs seized by police as camp requests official sharps bin to dispose of hypodermic needles
Dogs roam freely among the tents, heavily fouling the area
Growing threats of violence amid reports two women had to hide in a portable toilet to escape attack
Half of school parties cancel trips to the cathedral and the number of drop-in visitors has plummeted
St Paul’s Cathedral has been desecrated by vandalism, human waste and discarded drug needles since the arrival of anti-capitalist protesters outside, court papers allege.
Children as young as nine have been living among drink and drug abusers in squalor at the camp.
Police have arrested a sex offender on the site which has become a ‘magnet’ for addicts and those with mental health issues, it is alleged.
This image, which makes up part of the 88-page report submitted to the High Court yesterday reveals a dog tethered close to a tent, surrounded by mess
A bottle of wine and empty beer and whiskey cans litter the grounds of the cathedral
Cathedral staff have also been subjected to foul abuse from the protesters. The shocking allegations were made in legal papers lodged at the High Court by the Corporation of London at the start of its battle to evict the camp.
It includes a letter from the registrar of St Paul’s, Nicholas Cottam, cataloguing the problems since protesters arrived on October 15.
He said graffiti, including a sacrilegious message, had been scratched and painted on the building and human waste had even been found inside it.
He said services had frequently been interrupted by the noise from the protesters.
Police have reported a string of arrests at the site. Legal experts say the battle to move the camp could drag on for months.
Joy Hollister, the director of community and children's services for the Corporation, provided a witness statement to say she had observed a 'very strong smell of cannabis in several parts of the camp' and the presence of several children - two of whom appeared to be living there',
She said: 'There was one boy who looked to be between 11 and 13 there with his father. He was spending a lot of time with a group of people who were exhibiting signs of stronger drugs, I observed tracks in people's arms and stomachs relating to injecting drug use.
Empty cups and rubbish are strewn throughout the site outside the cathedral
'The boy was playing with musical instruments in their tent. I was concerned about him and asked if he was staying there. He told me he had stayed the night before and there had been some trouble as his father had his tobacco "nicked".
'He was then moved away from me by his father. I did not see the second child later and assume he had left the camp.'
Ms Hollister's statement then reveals that during a follow-up visit the father refused to divulge the age of the boy and claimed he was staying at the camp with his mother's permission.
She also quoted Homeless charity Broadway's concerns about a child 'who they said was nine, living in this environment'.
It also emerged that police have arrested a convicted sex offender on the site.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/11/21/article-2064174-0ED76E8700000578-192_634x409.jpgAnti-capitalist protesters were served with an eviction notice by the City of London Corporation last week
Ms Hollister raises concerns about the growing numbers of 'vulnerable' people at the camp.
She said: 'By which I mean people who were exhibiting behaviour that was indicative of poor mental health, people who were exhibiting signs of drug use including stumbling and compulsive behaviour, people who had body odour arising from significant periods without washing or change of clothing and a number of people who were clearly under the influence of drugs and alcohol.'
Ms Hollister also outlined concerns about a 'growing threat of violence' with reports of two women having to hide in a portable toilet for fear of being attacked by some of the men in the camp.
The 'Occupy' camp at the Cathedral is part of a series of protests in cities across the globe which aim to highlight the inequalities caused by mismanagement of the economy.
Demonstrators have been camped outside St Paul’s since October 15 after an attempt to occupy the nearby London Stock Exchange failed.
Although there are portable toilets at the site, there have been reports of protesters defecating in the cathedral grounds and the building itself
Since then the camp has become littered with human waste and graffiti, while alcohol and drug use are rife, according to the 88-page report.
Parts of the dossier come from registrar of St Paul’s, Nicholas Cottam, who wrote to a Corporation official outlining the disruptions faced by the cathedral.
Mr Cottam wrote: ‘Desecration: - graffiti have been scratched and painted on to the great west doors of the cathedral, the chapter house door and most notably a sacrilegious message painted on the restored pillars of the west portico.
‘Human defecation has occurred in the west portico entrance and inside the cathedral on several occasions.’
He also made reference to noisy interruptions during services, foul language directed at staff and the use of alcohol and ‘other stimulants’ that appeared to ‘fuel the noise levels day and night'.
'666', 'ACDC' and a heart were some of the symbols spray-painted onto the walls by the front entrance to the cathedral
Mr Cottam revealed more than half of schools scheduled to visit the cathedral had cancelled since the occupation began.
He wrote: 'The reason for the cancellations is directly as a result of their own risk assessments... that entry and exit to the cathedral is in their opinion too difficult due to the camp's presence.'
Drop-in visitor numbers were also down by half, leaving the cathedral's café, shop and restaurant 'faltering'.
Unchained dogs roam freely on the site, fouling the area, as litter including cigarettes and beer cans pile up, the report says.
A further witness statement from temporary police inspector John Zuber expressed ‘mounting concern of drugs within the camp’ including the arrest of a man in possession of ‘what is currently believed to be a liquid class A drug'.
He added: 'A camp member handed police drug paraphernalia, which included needles and residue of drugs which they found around the tents. The camp has made a request for an official sharps container for needles to be put into.'
Designer Vivienne Westwood speaks to demonstrators in front of St Paul's Cathedral this weekend
Last month, Daily Mail reporter Tom Rawstorne went undercover at the camp and reported widespread drug and alcohol use.
During a meeting, one activist complained of being harassed by someone who was drunk, adding: ‘I have reason to be a little bit afraid for our safety.’
Another activist admitted there had been problems with protesters urinating on each other’s tents, and called for a ban on drink and drugs, telling the group: ‘Recreational drinking isn’t something we should passionately support — this is a movement trying to overthrow capitalism.'
She added that anyone wanting to have a drink or 'do a few lines’ (presumably of ****) could go off-site.
A member of the so-called Tranquillity Team, a roster of protesters who spend the nights trying to quell trouble, says they have been rushed off their feet dealing with problems, and that people carousing on the cathedral steps have been keeping everyone awake until dawn.
Police patrol the site this weekend. Drug and alcohol use have been widespread at the camp
Meanwhile, a member of the camp's finance team implored people to stop asking for money that has been donated to the camp. 'We won’t give out money for cigarettes or booze,’ he said, clearly exasperated. 'Please don’t even bother asking.’
Legal notice was served on the camp on Thursday, a day after U.S. police cleared the Occupy Wall Street camp in New York.
The Corporation had halted earlier court action to hold talks with protesters, but policy chairman Stuart Fraser said the negotiations went ‘nowhere’.
Naomi Colvin, for Occupy London, insisted the threat of eviction ‘was not something we need to be remotely worried about’.
She added: ‘It could take months. We will contest it.’
You've been served: A bailiff pins an eviction notice to a tent outside St Paul's Cathedral
Time to leave: Bailiffs acting for the Corporation of London handed out eviction notices to the tents at the City Of London site
The Mail revealed last month how thermal imaging cameras showed the camp virtually empty at night.
Even if the court action succeeds, the protest is likely to continue in the churchyard during the day as long as nobody pitches tents.
Adam Chapman, head of public law at Kingsley Napley, said the Human Rights Act would make evicting London protesters a far more complex affair than in New York.
St Paul’s Cathedral decided not to join the legal action against the protesters after a humiliating internal row within the church which led to two high-profile resignations.
Legal threat: The warning notice handed out to protesters
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