Teen fined hundreds for smashing restaurant window

Tuesday 13 October 2020

A 19-year-old who smashed a window at Le Petit Bistro whilst on a night out has been fined £800.

Brandan Coquelin was out in Town with a group of friends at around midnight on 20 September.

The group was spotted by on-duty police officers, who watched the defendant strike the restaurant's window three or four times, causing it to break.

Defence Advocate Phoebe Cobb said Coquelin had drunk an "awful lot of alcohol" and "can't recall the incident itself". He said he didn't know why he had caused the damage, but still entered an early guilty plea to the charge.

"He will take more care in the future as to how much alcohol he consumes and his behaviour," Advocate Cobb told the court.

Pictured: The defendant was sentenced in the Magistrate's Court.

Coquelin has some previous convictions, none of which were relevant to the criminal damage charge.

"You don't have a bad record," Judge Gary Perry told the defendant. "You realise now how stupid it was, but I'm afraid it's going to cost you."

Coquelin was fined £800 as an alternative to 40 days in prison, which he will have to serve if he doesn't pay.

Crown Advocate Chris Dunford said the prosecution had made attempts to contact Le Petit Bistro for details on compensation, but that no information on the cost of the damage had been given.