A British man has gone viral after he was fined a large amount of money for spitting out a leaf that accidentally blew into his mouth. The man, Roy Marsh, is 86 years old and lives in Lincolnshire, England. The incident happened earlier this year while he was out for a walk.

According to reports, Marsh was walking across the South Parade Car Park when strong wind blew a big reed or leaf into his mouth. As he began choking, he spat the leaf out. Just as he stood up to leave the place, two enforcement officers approached him. They accused him of spitting on the ground, which is considered an offence under local cleanliness rules.

Speaking to the BBC, Marsh said that the incident was completely accidental. He explained that he had only stopped to rest during his walk when the leaf flew into his mouth because of the strong wind. Despite explaining the situation, one of the officers insisted that he had broken the law. When Marsh protested, he reportedly called the officer a “silly boy.”

Even after his explanation, Marsh was fined 250 pounds, which is around Rs 30,337. He later appealed against the fine, after which the amount was reduced to 150 pounds (around Rs 18,200). However, he was still forced to pay the reduced fine.

The incident angered many people, including local leaders. Adrian Findley, a county councillor, said the officers had gone too far. He said there should be more discretion while issuing fines. According to him, if an incident looks like a genuine accident, people should be given a chance to explain or apologise instead of being punished immediately. He also said that several angry residents had approached him with similar complaints.

Marsh’s daughter, Jane Marsh Fitzpatrick, also criticised the authorities on social media. In a Facebook post, she said her father suffers from severe asthma and a heart condition and also has difficulty walking. She explained that her father goes for daily walks to stay active. On that day, he inhaled a small leaf, which made him choke. He managed to cough it out and spit it onto the ground.

She alleged that the enforcement officer was rude and fined her father without listening to his explanation. She accused the officers of regularly harassing elderly people and not giving them a fair chance to explain themselves. 

While she agreed that cleanliness is important, she said such behaviour towards older people was unacceptable and disgraceful. In response, East Lindsey District Council said that enforcement patrols are not aimed at any specific group and that they are not discriminatory.