Xmas tyres slasher guilty

[Nwicker60]

Accused caused £368 of damage to transit van
A FAMILY gathering on Christmas Day was marred when one member suddenly left and returned armed with a knife which he used to slash the tyres of van parked nearby.
The reason for the vandalism wasn’t clear, Wick Sheriff Court heard today, when Gary Bell, 29, pleaded guilty on indictment, to causing the damage and having the knife in his possession in a public place.
Bell, who has a number of previous convictions, had gone to the festive gathering at a house just round the corner from his home in Castletown, for the seasonal celebration on Christmas Day, last year.
David Barclay, prosecuting, said that soon after his arrival, the convivial atmosphere changed.
He said: “It is fair to say that whoever said or did what, is couched in areas of grey and I am not suggesting that the Bell was responsible but the end result was that he left the house and that was that, so far as everyone was concerned, whatever had happened, had blown over.”
However, a short time later, Bell, of 2 Calder Square, Castletown, returned, and was observed by witnesses who came out of the house, slashing all four tyres of a transit van parked nearby, causing £368 worth of damage.
The case was continued for a social inquiry report until December 13 when the accused’s agent, Eilidh Macdonald, will address the sheriff court on the background to the incident.