A drunk who "kicked off" inside a Northumberland Wetherspoons and caused thousands of pounds worth of damage was also carrying a weapon.
Yob Clive Crowe threw chairs, kicked over tables, smashed mugs and destroyed a coffee machine during his mindless outburst in The Forum, in Hexham. Shocked customers looked on as the 33-year-old lout was arrested and also found to be in possession of a knuckleduster, a court heard.
In total, he caused £4,600-worth of damage, £2,000 of which he must now pay back by way of compensation. The dad-of-two, of Chirdon Crescent, in Hexham, appeared before Newcastle Magistrates' Court to plead guilty to criminal damage and being possession of an offensive weapon.
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Sentencing him to a 12-month community order, with 100 hours of unpaid work, Deputy District Judge Andrew Teate said: "On April 18, you entered Wetherspoons as a customer and, for reasons I have read about, you, in the words of witnesses, "kicked off". You kicked off first in the toilets then you entered the main bar.
"You argued with your father and you were told to leave by staff. However, rather than calm down, your anger increased. You damaged tables by kicking them over, smashed coffee mugs, you picked up chairs and threw them. This must have been a scary experience for people in the public house.
"You caused significant damage to the coffee machine. The total damage was estimated at £4,600."
The court heard that Crowe had only been carrying the knuckleduster and hadn't brandished or used it. Alanna Wesencraft, defending, said Crowe hadn't been in trouble since 2016, had two kids and was now in employment. She added: "He accepts responsibility and accepts it was inappropriate to behave in the way he did."
As well as the community order and unpaid work, Crown must pay £2,000 compensation and £85 costs.
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