A NEWPORT man was fined £250 and told to pay £55 costs for his part in breaking into the Big Brother TV compound.

Fathers 4 Justice protestor Andrew James, aged 35, of Lyndhurst Avenue, appeared before St Albans magistrates yesterday with three other men over the incident on January 14 this year.

The defendants were part of a larger group which planned to storm the Channel Four house while celebrities slept inside. James and the three others admitted disorderly behaviour.

The other men in court were Roland Primus, 43, of Fleetham Gardens, Reading, Steven Smith, 36, of Eastlake Close, Bristol; and Michael Downes, 42, of Foxfield Road, Manchester.

Downes and Smith both carried Superman outfits while James and Primus had Spiderman and Batman costumes.

They planned to unfurl banners to highlight the plight of fathers denied access to their children.

Helena Lewer, prosecuting, said it was about 2.50am when security witnessed fireworks being let off at the rear gate of the compound, in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. Police made nine arrests.

James, who represented himself, told District Judge Geoff Wicks, that he supported two children he had not seen for more than four years.

"I have been part of the group for two-and-a-half years for my personal cause and for the thousands of children that have been abused by the legal system in this country," he said.