Vandal smashed up van in case of mistaken identity
A man attacked a neighbour’s red van – smashing its wing mirrors and windscreen – in a bizarre case of mistaken identity.
Jamie Damsell, 20, of Lime Avenue, Houghton, struck in the belief the owner had chased him as he cycled home earlier – and taken his bike and bag.
But Damsell was wrong and ended up being arrested after he lost his temper and damaged the Ford Transit near his own home, a court was told.
The jobless warehouse worker claimed he lashed out after being the alleged victim of crime as he pedalled through West Rainton from his then job on Thursday, August 20.
He claimed he had stopped to help a woman he believed was being attacked by two men at the roadside in a domestic dispute.
But he allegedly fled on foot, leaving behind his bike and bag, when the assailants turned on him – and that his belongings vanished.
Prosecutor Paul Anderson told magistrates in South Tyneside: “At 5.30pm the van owner’s son was at home and he heard shouting from the rear of his property.
“He looked out and he heard somebody say, ‘I want my bag and bike back’.
"He sees a lad walk to the van and rip off the passenger side wing mirror.
“The witness rings his dad and when he gets home, both wing mirrors are damaged and the windscreen is smashed.
“Police catch up with him and ask him why he has done this.
"It’s not clear from the defendant due to a lack of being uncooperative with the police.”
Neil Hodgson, defending Damsell, who has no previous convictions, told the court: “He apologises for his actions.
“He was cycling home from work when he saw a lady being attacked by two men. It looked to him like a domestic fight.
“He got off his bike, and there was a red van involved.
"The men chased him up the road. A lady passing in a car picked him up.
“Later on, he’s at home and sees a red van he thinks is the same one. He’s gone down and shouted up, but the man is not in.
“He got so angry that he damaged the van. It wasn’t the same van.
"He saw red mist at the time.”
Mr Hodgson added: “The police come, and he makes an allegation of theft of his bike and bag.
"The police look in the van, but his bike and bag aren’t there.
“Since then, there’s been a certain amount of ill feeling by the people at the bottom of the street.
“He was the victim of crime.
"He seems to be a decent young lad who lost his temper.
“He had his bike and bag taken and they have never been got back.”
Damsell, who pleaded guilty to a charge of causing criminal damage, was handed a 12-month conditional discharge.
The magistrates ordered that he must pay his victim £300 compensation, and there were £85 court costs and a £22 victim surcharge.
Former Sunderland forward Joel Asoro has lifted the lid on his Swansea City exit.
Asoro has hit out and claimed he wasn't given a fair crack of the whip at Swansea.
He left the Liberty Stadium for Swedish side Djugardens earlier this month.
Speaking to the Swedish press, Asoro said: "It’s not that I have chosen the wrong clubs, but rather that I have ended up in the wrong hands. So, you can say, that they did not know how to use me.
“The clubs I have been to have been fantastic. But they did not know how to use me. At Sunderland, they knew how to use me, but at Swansea they did not really know. In terms of play, I did not fit in.”
He added: “You can check a lot on statistics and stuff like that, but there are more than 30 matches that I played only five to 10 minutes in. You have to check it too.
“You cannot just say: ‘You have started all these matches.’
“I have not done that. I have not played more than 10 minutes in half of the matches. It’s hard to do something in 10 minutes. I’m not going to blame myself, but that’s it.”
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