A children's author who documented his project to convert an old church on social media has been convicted of destroying bat roosts after being caught out by his own Instagram posts.

Jonathan Wedge bought the Grade II-listed Church of St Thomas in the small Dorset village of East Orchard in 2022.

He set about turning the derelict Gothic building into a home for his family himself and established an Instagram account under the name churchofwedge.

He regularly shared updates regarding the extensive building work with his nearly 16,000 followers.

However, the 45-year-old father-of-four ran into trouble when one of his social media posts revealed that construction had taken place without first taking appropriate steps to protect roosting bats.

He pleaded guilty to four charges of damaging or destroying bat roosts – one for each distinct bat species affected.

Mr Wedge, a former investment manager, left the City to write full-time in 2015. He has authored a series of children's mystery books, centred around a fictional boarding school named Winkton Abbey.

Originally constructed in 1859, the Church of St Thomas had suffered from subsidence since the 1970s and had fallen into disrepair beyond recovery by the time the Diocese of Salisbury stopped holding services in 2018.

The property was initially listed for commercial use but failed to attract a buyer until Mr Wedge and his partner Natasha Deeley bought it to convert into a family home.

In their planning application, they said the change of use to a three-bedroom home would save the listed building and ensure an important local landmark was restored and enhanced for future generations.

They said that they planned to make it as eco-friendly as possible, with an air source heat pump and possibly solar panels.

They also said that they planned to have a small-holding with chickens, sheep and a pig, as well as bee-keeping, composting and rainwater collection.

The told planners: "All in all, we believe our way of living will only ever benefit local and wider eco-systems and planetary concerns in regards to carbon footprint and CO2 emissions."

The proposals were approved with conditions, including a biodiversity plan that said he needed to install a bat loft at least 21ft long, 18ft wide and 10ft high and two “bat access tiles” before he moved in.

It also said an exclusion method must be undertaken to ensure all the bats were out of the church prior to conversion starting, a process that can only be undertaken between April and October so the bats are not in hibernation.

The couple shared their conversion journey on social media, and the court heard that posts showed Mr Wedge started the work in December 2023.

Mr Wedge was ordered to pay a £1,200 fine and £500 compensation to the Bat Conservation Trust.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard that he had introduced bat lofts in 2024 and a recent ecological survey showed all four species – soprano pipistrelle, common pipistrelle, serotine and brown long-eared bats – are present in the loft.

He could have been facing far heavier penalties if the bats had not returned. A proceeds of crime hearing would have been held to determine the value added to the property by his actions.

Mr Wedge declined to comment on the matter.

All 18 UK bat species have the highest level of legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The offence can result in an unlimited fine or up to six months in prison.