Musician told to go busking to pay for escalator damage

A BUSKER has been given three months to make £16,000 or face prosecution, a judge ruled.

Judge Maria Lamb gave Oliver Emmett, 27, of Egham, Surrey, the deadline after hearing how he could earn hundreds of pounds in a few hours with his singing and guitar playing.

The judge went on to suggest that if he was not doing very well, he should look for a more profitable job. “If you keep up your end of the deal, I’ll keep up mine,” she said.

Reading Crown Court heard Emmett had poured whisky and lemonade down an escalator at a Waitrose store in Windsor in June 2016, following a disagreement with a security guard.

Staff spent £16,000 dismantling the lift and completely cleaning it.

The store asked the judge to make Emmett, who also volunteers at a soup kitchen, pay the money as compensation which sparked the three month “deal”.

Speaking at a sentencing hearing Judge Lamb told Emmett, who admitted causing criminal damage, he had three months to make as much money as he could to show he was truly remorseful. Judge Lamb added: “It’s all very well to say you are sorry but I want to see some real concrete evidence that you have tried to save some money.”