Spiteful man swiped CCTV camera for unpaid debt

A man tore a CCTV camera off his friend's wall 'out of spite' after he failed to recover a debt, a court in Mansfield heard.
Mansfield Magistrates CourtMansfield Magistrates Court
Mansfield Magistrates Court

Lenford Swift, 25, of no fixed abode, admitted theft when he appeared before magistrates on Wednesday.

In interview, Swift told police he went to the rear of the house on Stainforth Street, in Mansfield, on November 21, because his friend owed him money.

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“The camera belonged to his friend’s dad,” said Ruth Snodin, prosecuting. “The defendant threw it in a dust bin in the town centre.”

Chris Lacey, mitigating, said it was the most “ridiculous thing to steal” because “the image of the thief would be the first thing that popped up.”

Swift took the CCTV camera to “make the point he had been around but he had not been paid,” said Mr Lacey.

Swift was given a 12-month conditional discharge. He was ordered to pay £85 costs and £100 compensation, which will be deducted from his benefits.

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