Mail delay as sorting office roof collapses

ASUCCESSFUL businessman damaged a rival neighbour’s horsebox after hitting it with his car, a court heard.

Robert Harold Foy, of Sandy Lane, Accrington, was in his Audi when it collided with David Baird’s 7.5 tonne horsebox causing more than £1,200 worth of damage.

Prosecutor Claire Larton told Burnley Court there had been ‘longstanding difficulties between the defendant and the neighbours’ and that Mr Baird had installed CCTV around his property.

Mr Baird spotted the damage to the side panel of the horsebox at around 4pm on July 1 last year, the court heard.

He later examined the CCTV which showed Mr Foy in the Audi driving past the horsebox.

Miss Larton said the horsebox could be seen to ‘visibly shake or move side to side as though there had been an impact’.

Police were contacted and noticed damage to the horsebox and minor damage to Foy’s car ‘which was consistent with having caused the damage in question’, the court heard. Miss Larton said the incident happened only three months after Foy was given a suspended prison sentence for ‘trying to set his own house on fire’.

Foy, 57, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and while subject to a suspended sentence order.

He was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 compensation and a £150 fine.

Andrea Lock, defending, said Foy had been ‘making splendid progress’ on an alcohol treatment requirement (ATR), imposed as part of the suspended sentence, but he then suffered a ‘lapse’.

She told the court that the house fire was ‘part of a failed suicide bid’ and he is now abstinent from alcohol.

Miss Lock told the court: “This is a man who until the age of 46 he led a blameless life. To say he has had a spectacular fall from grace would be something of an understatement. He has very foolishly col- lided with a horse box. He has not given his full attention to what he was doing.”

Judge Jonathan Gibson said the ‘signs appear to be positive at the moment’ and decided against impos- ing the suspended sentence. He told Foy: “You are perfectly capable of living a law-abiding life, particularly if you get the ATR completed successfully. You must give the ATR absolute unfailing commitment.”