Pensioner fined more than £500 for causing damage to neighbour’s property

Gary Cowley, 67, who then lived in Boston Road but who now lives in Hawthorn Hill, Dogdyke, admitted causing damage to the windows at Connaire Wilson’s house, when he appeared at Boston Magistrates Court.

Prosecuting, Jim Clare said that at around 9.30pm on June 30 last year, Mr Wilson was putting shopping away having just got home, when Cowley smashed his front windows with a metal pipe, while accusing him of ‘doing something to his son’.

Mitigating, Michael Alexander said Cowley had found his son unconscious and with a syringe in his neck and he had to be taken to hospital.

He said Cowley did not know if his son was going to survive or not and he thought the person who had provided the drugs was Mr Wilson, which was why he had gone round and caused the damage.

He said Mr Wilson went round to Cowley’s three days later and explained that it had been three tenants of his and that he had subsequently thrown them out.

Mr Alexander said Cowley now wished to make it clear he knew Mr Wilson had no part in the drugs supply and he wanted to thank him for going round to tell him.

The magistrates said they had sympathy for the situation Cowley had found himself in and imposed a six month conditional discharge.

However, they ordered him to pay £300 compensation for the windows and £100 compensation for Mr Wilson for what he had gone through, as well as £107 in court costs and charges.