Boozed up offender battered bonnet of Maddiston woman's car with beer cans

Patrick Maughan (35) took his drunken frustrations out on the bonnet and wing mirror of his former partner’s parked car as neighbours looked on.

Maughan appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday having pled guilty to recklessly damaging property in Simpson Drive, Maddiston on January 15.

Katie Cunningham, procurator fiscal depute, said: “It was 10pm and witnesses saw the accused outside shouting. He was banging on the bonnet of a parked car with his elbows and fists.

“Another witness him start hitting a parked car with unknown items in his hand. This continued for about a minute. He was shouting and swearing and struck the nearside wing mirror, causing damage.

“This continued for around 10 minutes and police arrived to find the accused under the influence of alcohol.”

The court heard the damaged to the car, which belonged to Maughan’s former partner, amounted to £810 and Maughan had paid back £224 of it.

His behaviour on the day was put down to his mixing alcohol with his prescription medication.

He stated he had no recollection of the incident and “didn’t think it was something he would do”, but realised what he had done after the crime was caught on dash cam footage.

Maughan claimed he had abstained from alcohol since the offence.

Sheriff Derek Livingston ordered Maughan, 12A Glenacre Road, Cumbernauld, to pay £584 compensation to the car owner within four months and fined him £180.