Drunk Worksop man who vandalised CCTV help point was ‘frustrated’ by language barrier

A CCTV operator noticed Damien Litwa was pressing a button on the CCTV “refuge point” on Bridge Street for members of the public to use in an emergency, at 1am on March 8, said prosecutor Freddie Sayle.

A few moments later he began to pull the help-point from the pole and left it dangling by an electric cable.

It will cost Bassetlaw District Council £4,500 and take two weeks to repair.

Litwa was followed on CCTV and arrested. As he was being transported to Mansfield police station he spat in the back of the van which will cost £100 to be cleaned.

"He said he was trying to speak to someone and the language barrier made him upset, said Mr Sayle. “He regretted his actions and said he was sorry.”

Mark Stocks, mitigating, said Litwa, of previous good character, deserved credit for his early guilty plea.

You may feel it is appropriate to deal with this by way of compensation rather than a fine," he said.

"It is far from clear how much it would cost to rewire the box."

He said Litwa, who works for a sandwich-making company, had been drinking for most of the evening but couldn't remember causing any of the damage.

Litwa, aged 35, of Cresswell Road, admitted two counts of criminal damage via a Polish interpreter when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Thursday.

He was ordered to pay £2,000 compensation to the council but no costs were awarded.