The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Local hero ‘an idiot’ for wielding sledgehammer
COURT: Community champion admits it was ‘foolish’ to be carrying weapon
An award-winning community champion has branded himself an “idiot” for chasing after a pair of young vandals while wielding a sledgehammer.
Glyn Chadwick, a highly respected local hero in the village of Aberdour, took the law into his own hands when police failed to attend to reports of boy racers performing doughnuts on the grass next to Silver Sands.
After filming the incident on his phone from a distance, Chadwick, pictured, went over to the area himself and was approached by two youths. After he asked them if it was their car churning up the grass, one of the men replied, “Yes what are you going to f ****** do about it?” At that, Chadwick grabbed the sledgehammer from his own car and shouted “What am I going to do about it?” before chasing them away.
Yesterday the 66-year-old appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, where he was admonished after admitting unlawfully possessing the sledgehammer.
Speaking after the case, Chadwick said: “Looking back, it was foolish and I was an idiot to take the sledgehammer with me.”
Asledgehammerwielding community local hero chased off joyriders performing “doughnuts” after they churned up grass at a Fife beauty spot.
Glyn Chadwick, highly respected locally for cleaning up the coastal village of Aberdour, took the law into his own hands when police failed to attend to the report of late-night vandalism.
The 66-year-old’s voluntary work has previously seen him named Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Hero of the Month.
At Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Chadwick, of St Fillans Crescent, Aberdour, admitted unlawfully possessing the sledgehammer on July 28 last year at Silver Sands Boathouse on Hawkcraig Road.
On that Tuesday night, he was called by a local resident to tell him the grass field next to the Silver Sands beach was again being “ripped up” by young joyriders performing doughnuts for more than an hour.
The area was being plagued by the anti-social behaviour of boy racers damaging the park.
He told the woman to call the police and went to see the damage for himself, along with the chairperson of the village’s community council.
He said just after 11pm he saw the car “still hurtling around the field, egged on by spectators in two other cars parked there”. After filming the incident on his phone from a distance, Chadwick went over to the area and found the car parked, with no one around.
He said he was then approached by “two lads, who denied it was their car and that they were just passing through”.
However, when they then got into the car, Chadwick said, “So it is your car, is it?”
One of them replied, “Yes what are you going to f ****** do about it?”
At that, Chadwick grabbed the sledgehammer from his own car shouting, “What am I going to do about it?” and chased them.
One drove off in the car and the other made off towards the beach.
When the police did turn up, it was in response to a complaint from the pair he had chased.
Defence solicitor James Moncrieff said his client has no previous convictions, is retired and has lived in the village for more than 20 years.
Sheriff Richard McFarlane said he had made “an ill-advised decision”.
He told Chadwick: “Your frustration was that the police had not attended as it was not a priority incident and there comes a point when enough is enough.
“You took the ill-advised decision to deal with it yourself.”
The sheriff then admonished Chadwick.
The volunteer received many character references for court, including from his local councillor and the village’s community council.
His work previously saw him nominated for the Dunfermline and West Fife Citizen of the Year contest.
After the case, the popular volunteer said: “It’s been a worry to have this hanging over me for 14 months while those doing the damage seem to have got away scot-free.
“Looking back, it was foolish and I was an idiot to take the sledgehammer with me.
“I thought it might make them think twice about doing it again.
“Thankfully I don’t think there haven’t been any other incidents since then.”
“I thought it might make them think twice about doing it again