Bassetlaw man’s compensation woe for smashing up van which rolled into a car

Richard Mair became irate when he saw the van, which belongs to a friend of his ex-partner's, parked on the drive of his Retford home, at 4.20pm on September 3.

"In essence he wasn't too pleased and lost his temper," said Neil Hollett, prosecuting. "He said, "I will smash the windows through if it's not moved.""

Mair scratched the bonnet and threw a brick through a window before reaching in and taking off the handbrake. The van rolled back into the road where it collided with a Honda Civic and caused £654 of damage.

The court heard the van’s owner and Mair reached an agreement over the £720 damage he caused, but compensation for the damaged Honda was still outstanding.

Mr Hollett said he has previous convictions, including one for criminal damage from March 2022, and before that was last in trouble in 2015.

Ben Brown, mitigating, said police offered to caution him providing he paid compensation. He said Mair found Retford police station unmanned and left a message for the relevant officer but she didn't get back to him.

Mair, aged 38, of Sandringham Road, admitted criminal damage when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court. He received a six-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay £645 compensation . He was also fined £100 with a £40 surcharge and £85 costs.

The presiding magistrate told him: “Retford police station isn’t totally unmanned and it is possible to make an appointment.”