Aston Martin vandal spared jail
A man who scratched his keys along the bodywork of a £100,000 Aston Martin while out pushing a pram, walked free from court after the car’s owner said he did not want to see him jailed.
Gary Brissett, 48, was with his 13-month-old baby when he caused nearly £8,000 damage by scratching the supercar while driver Oliver Hall popped into the shops in Hackney, east London.
Mr Hall returned moments later and drove off before discovering a long scratch mark down the full length of the passenger side of his vehicle.
The incident was captured by the car’s dash cam and was later viewed by millions of people as it went viral online.
The video was shown as evidence at Thames Magistrates’ Court today before Brissett was given an eight-week suspended sentence and ordered to pay £1095.
The footage shows him stop in front of the V8 Vanquish sports car before searching in his pockets.
After finding his keys, Brissett pulls the cover down on the baby’s pushchair and slowly approaches the vehicle parked in Tesco Car park.
With the keys in his left hand, Brissett grimaces as he drags them down the complete side of the car, ruining the Aston Martin’s paintwork and causing £7,741.28-worth of damage.
The vandal gave a full and frank admission and pleaded guilty to criminal damage after he was identified from the footage and arrested.
Brissett, of Hackney, was given an eight-week sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered to wear an electronic tag and observe a curfew from 9pm-7am for three months.
He must also pay £10 a week towards a £180 criminal court charge, £85 prosecution costs, a £80 victim surcharge, and £750 compensation.
