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A resident of CARLISLE who took matters into his own hands because he opposed his neighbors’ CCTV cameras admitted to having damaged them.
David Wiseman, 35, who told justices in the city’s Rickergate court that he suffered from mental health issues, was caught on camera as he reached out and tried to point three of the cameras at the ground, smashing their plastic supports.
He admitted only one charge of causing criminal damage.
Pam Ward, prosecutor, explained how on July 27 at 8:15 p.m. the woman who lives downstairs in Margaret Creighton Gardens was cooking dinner in the kitchen when she peeked through the window.
The prosecutor said: “She shouted at her partner in the front room,” They just took the cameras off the wall.
When his partner came out, he found two cameras pointed downward.
The plastic mounts on their cameras had been damaged so that they could no longer point in any direction but down, Ms Ward said.
The woman’s partner noticed a man outside with a bald head.
When he saw the master of the house leaving the apartment, he offered to fight him, the court heard. The owners of the cameras said the cost of the damage was £ 70.
When the couple reviewed CCTV footage of the incident, the recording showed Wiseman walking up to the camera and walking towards it. The last thing they saw was his hand passing over the lens before the footage was cut off.
Ms Ward summarized what the accused told the police during his questioning.
“He admitted to causing the damage and said he turned the cameras down, saying they shouldn’t be recording people,” Ms Ward said.
“He said he pulled them down to point at the ground and he didn’t think he caused any damage.” The court heard that the defendant was last in trouble in 2017 for breaking a restraining order.
Wiseman, representing himself, told magistrates he agreed with “90 percent” of the prosecutor’s plan.
He said: “I didn’t offer to fight when they came out. I felt like I was being watched.
“There was no intention of breaking the cameras.
“I felt uncomfortable being constantly watched. I have sanity. They have maybe eight cameras on their property, watching other people. I was sitting in front of my friend’s property and they could see me where I was sitting.
Wiseman said he had changed his life a lot recently, having been an alcoholic in the past. “I went to rehab and stayed out of trouble for a long time,†he said, adding, “It was just a mistake on my part. I complained. [to Riverside Housing] several times and I should have kept complaining.
Magistrates noted Wiseman’s remorse, saying they hoped he had learned a lesson in not taking matters into his own hands. He was fined £ 40, with costs £ 85 and a victim fine surcharge of £ 34.
He is to pay compensation of £ 70 to the owners of the cameras.
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