"Grotesque" - Jail for 'adult diaper lover' caught scrabbling through South Tyneside bins for used nappies

An "adult diaper lover" with a "grotesque obsession" for soiled nappies has been caught riffling through strangers bins' in a sick bid to get her fix yet again.

Abbie Taylor, who was known as Martin Tarling but now identifies as a woman, is the subject of a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which bans her from being close to nurseries and getting inside dustbins.

In August last year the 47-year-old, who also has a penchant for incontinence pads, was given a suspended sentence for breaching it by raking around and crawling into trash cans at residential properties and daycare providers.

One horrified householder videoed Taylor as she struggled to pull up her trousers while trying to make her getaway from a garbage container.

The footage shows Taylor wrestling her jeans up while standing inside the bin as the horrified resident, who has since died, warns: "Get the hell out, I will get the police on you".

At Newcastle Crown Court today Taylor, of Newmarket Walk, South Shields, was jailed for four further breaches of the CBO by continuing to raid bins.

Prosecutor Claire Anderson said on December 27 last year a woman whose partner requires incontinence pads noticed some of them had been taken from the bin and were lying in the garden, which she initially put down to the windy weather.

But Miss Anderson said later that day the same resident heard a noise and added: "She looked outside the bedroom window and saw the defendant."

The court heard Taylor had her "foot inside the bin" and the victim shouted "what the f*** are you doing", which prompted her to leave, but she took a bag of rubbish with her.

The following day Taylor returned to the address and was told by the same resident to "get out of the bin" but again fled with a sack of garbage.

Miss Anderson said: "This time she was able to take photographs which were later identified by the police as the defendant."

On December 29 and January 7 Taylor targeted another South Tyneside address and repeated the behaviour.

Mr Recorder Tony Hawks jailed Taylor for a total of 30 months for the new offences and breach of the suspended sentence imposed last year.

The recorder said: "Putting it simply, in April 2023, following your conviction for a public order offence you were made subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order for a period of three years.

"The purpose of that order was to tackle what is a grotesque obsession you apparently have in rooting around in bins near care homes and nurseries in order to retrieve soiled nappies or soiled incontinence wear."

Recorder Hawks said he is prepared to accept the conclusion by psychiatrists that Taylor's behaviour is not sexually motivated but he added: "However, your conduct is highly antisocial and extremely distressing to people who are affected by it."

Nicholas Lane, defending, said: "There is no evidence of sexual motivation in this case.

"She has been in custody now for a considerable period of time and is determined to continue work under supervision with the probation service. She has been working very well with probation."

Taylor's Criminal Behaviour Order bans her from being within 100m of any nursery or being inside any bin for three years from April 2023.

It was imposed by magistrates in Nottinghamshire when she was convicted of harassment after being found inside a nursery nappy bin wearing an adult diaper over her trousers.

She was also caught in a nappy bin on three occasions in November 2014, May 2019 and June 2019 and told police she did this to "sleep and find comfort".

On her Facebook page she was shown as a cartoon character wearing a nappy and displaying the words "adult baby diaper lover".

Mr Lane said at a previous hearing Taylor uses age regression as a "coping mechanism" and is not linked to sexual arousal or an attraction to children but is more physical comfort "symbolising a simple, more carefree time, a return to childhood innocence" and a "unique form of self expression".

Mr Lane added during that hearing: "Having been born as a male, Miss Taylor identifies now as a female. It is important to observe that is not a recent development."