Boston man who broke pub card machine ended up in court after taking inspiration from TV for police interview

Town magistrates heard on Wednesday that Billy Maddison, 30, of Shaw Road, might have been offered a caution if he had repeated what he said upon arrest.

He was in Brown’s Cocktails, in Dolphin Lane, when a fight broke out at about 3am on Sunday, December 11.

Maddison would go on to throw a £260 card machine to the floor, smashing it, the court was told.

Prosecutor Fiona McClelland said he told police upon arrest: “If it’s broken, I’ll just pay for it.”

In mitigation, solicitor Rebecca Freitas told magistrates that Maddison gave a no comment interview at the police station later that day.

She added: “He had no solicitor at the police station. He could’ve got a conditional caution.

“He said he went no comment because he had seen that on TV.”

Maddison had been held by a doorman as he went to leave the property after wrongly being identified as involved in the fight, Miss Freitas said.

“When he was grabbed, he reacted,” the solicitor added.

Maddison, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal damage from the incident.

Magistrates handed him a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £260 in compensation, £85 in costs and a £26 victim surcharge.