AN OSWESTRY man has been ordered to wear an alcohol tag after smashing the wing mirrors on eight cars in the same road earlier this month.

Paul Pritchard, 27, of Queen Elizabeth Drive, admitted criminal damage on the eight cars, belonging to seven properties in the same road, on April 2 this year.

He was fined £100 – reduced to £65 for an early guilty plea – but will have to serve a 120-day alcohol monitoring requirement after he admitted his attack was caused by drinking.

He will be required to wear the tag until Thursday, August 18 and must not drink any alcohol.

The court heard that on April 2, one resident was watching television in her home with her baby at around 9.40pm when she heard a noise from outside which she went to investigate.

She saw a man in an orange coat, which turned out to be Pritchard in a hi-vis work jacket, and he was shouting and kicking cars along the road.

She said the man was also screaming that he was going to 'kill someone, anyone' leading her to call the police as she had became upset at the damage caused to her and her neighbours' cars, but also because she needed the car to take her child to hospital.

When questioned, Pritchard told police he had been drinking at the Highwayman pub in Shrewsbury Road and denied being angry with anyone but answered no comment to questions regarding the criminal damage and threatening to kill.

The prosecution confirmed Pritchard had already settled compensation with four of the seven claimants while his defence told the court that he was "remorseful and embarrassed" by the offence.

Sentencing was delayed after magistrates called for a report from the probation service, which stated that the defendant had already begun to address an alcohol issue.

The court heard that Pritchard, on the day of the offence, had drunk 12 pints to drown out depression after he had unexpectedly became homeless following a break-up.

They heard that Pritchard was living now with his sister, had not drunk since the incident and was trying to get himself back on his feet while spending time with his family.

Pritchard was ordered to pay compensation of £296, £150 and £150 respectively to three victims, with an agreement in place with another.

Three more have already been paid.

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