Obsessive jailed for 'grotesque' nappy bin breach

Warning: This article contains information people may find distressing

An obsessive with a "grotesque" fixation on rooting through bins for used nappies has been jailed for doing the same thing again.

Abbie Taylor had been banned from going near bins but was seen by two different people climbing in and searching through their waste, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Taylor, who identifies as a woman but previously committed offences under the name Martin Tarling and was being held on remand at a male prison, was given a suspended sentence in 2025 for targeting nurseries in South Tyneside.

The 47-year-old from South Shields, whose criminal record had 99 offences on it, admitted breaching a criminal behaviour order and was jailed for two and a half years.

A three-year order was made in 2023 prohibiting Taylor from attending any nurseries, removing items from bins or wearing incontinence aids over clothing in public, prosecutor Claire Anderson said.

Taylor was further jailed for two years, suspended for two years, in August 2025 for breaching that order by committing offences at several nurseries, including smearing faeces on children's bottles.

On 27 December, a woman who lived with her husband, who needed to use adult nappies, found several of his soiled garments scattered around their garden, the court heard.

She believed they might have been blown out by the wind, but later that day heard someone moving her bins and looked out to see Taylor rummaging, the court heard.

The woman banged on the window and shouted, causing Taylor to flee semi-dressed, the court heard.

The following day, the woman saw Taylor again going through her bin, with the defendant leaving with a bag of rubbish, the court heard.

On 29 December, another woman saw Taylor standing in her bin and searching, Anderson said.

A previous court hearing was told Taylor was a "diaper fetishist" whose Facebook profile described the defendant as an "adult baby diaper lover".

But in mitigation, Nick Lane said a psychiatrist had concluded Taylor 's actions were not sexually motivated, which was accepted by the judge, Recorder Anthony Hawks.

The judge said Taylor had a "grotesque obsession" with "rooting around in bins near care homes or nurseries to retrieve soiled nappies or incontinence wear".

"Your conduct is highly anti-social and extremely distressing to people who are affected by it," Hawks told Taylor.

Taylor was jailed for 16 months for breaching the 2023 court order and 14 months consecutive for breaching the suspended sentence imposed in August.

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