Criminal damage case outcome

[researcher]

I've found out some details of a case of a spree of criminal damage to car windows, etc, that happened late on a Sunday evening last September. I think this was mainly in Ashbourne Grove and Melbourne Grove. Some local residents saw some of it and followed two men who were then arrested by the police. Some of the witnesses later provided statements.

I understand that the case came to court in January and that one man pleaded guilty to eight charges of causing criminal damage and one of using threatening words / behaviour. He was sentenced to twelve weeks imprisonment suspended for twelve months and ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work. I believe that several compensation orders totalling more than ?2,000 were also made against him.

The case against a second man who didn't plead guilty was discontinued.

[ifile]

I am not sure where you obtained your information. Residents did not follow the men, the police did as they had already seen them once and told them to go home before the damage started.

The compensation orders were way in excess of ?2,000 and I don't think he had to do any community service.

It all goes in favour of the criminal and just proves that if you plead not guilty the CPS will most probably drop the charges.

[researcher]

I had two sources of information: myself and the police.

With the first defendant pleading guilty, discontinuing the prosecution against the second doesn't look unreasonable if there was no eye witness evidence that he personally did damage.

[RosieH]

This is all very cryptic.