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‘Reasonable’ dad-to-be smashed up two cars in row over parking
VEHICLE SMASHER ... Alan Wake went on two separate sprees during which he damaged cars.
A FATHER-to-be vandalised a car during a drunken rampage because it was parked in his space.
Alan Wake knocked on a neighbour’s door in Hedworth Lane, Boldon Colliery, and demanded he move the Volkswagen Golf parked outside, but the car belonged to his daughter’s boyfriend, who wasn’t at home, and he couldn’t move it.
Despite offering to move his own car, Wake punched the neighbour in the chest before going outside and kicking in the car’s windscreen after jumping on the bonnet.
In a separate incident months later, the 27-year-old used a pair of crutches to smash the windows of two cars parked outside his girlfriend’s house in Spohr Terrace, South Shields, before ramming one with his own Mondeo.
South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday that Wake had been drinking on both occasions.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage, driving without a licence, driving with no insurance, failing to provide a specimen of breath and drink driving.
Paul Donay, prosecuting, told the court that the first attack was in May last year.
He said: “Wake told a neighbour he wanted the Golf moved. The man tried to reason with him and offered to move his own car, but Wake charged at him and punched him in the chest.”
Mr Donay said the man moved his car, and Wake moved his into the space before vandalising the Golf.
Police arrested Wake, who refused to take a breath test, admitting he was drunk. The second incident happened on February 5.
Mr Donay said: “Two cars parked in Spohr Terrace were damaged. Wake used crutches to hit the windows of a Golf and a Ford Focus.
“The back window of the Focus was smashed. He then got in a Mondeo and drove into the Focus before driving off.”
He was arrested again and a breath test showed he had 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath – the legal limit is 35mg.
David Forrester, defending, said: “He is a reasonable young man, works and has a child on the way. His behaviour, he accepts, was unacceptable.
“There were two separate, but similar incidents. The first is part of a long-standing neighbour dispute over parking. The second was with his partner’s neighbour. There is no bad blood between them. He said he was drunk and lost it.”
Magistrates gave Wake a 12-month community order with 150 hours’ unpaid work.
He was also banned from driving for three years, ordered to pay £450 compensation and £250 costs.
Twitter: @ShieldsGazCrime
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Weather for Jarrow
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North east
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