Telford man's anger led to £3,700 attack on his mother's car

Delivery driver Sean Anthony Noto, 40, of Buxton Road, Dawley, rammed her parked Vauxhall Corsa with his Zafira, resulting in it being written off by her insurers.

Telford Magistrates Court heard how Noto was working when he deliberately hit the black Corsa on May 20 this year shortly before 8.45pm. He admitted one charge of criminal damage.

Miss Abigail Hall, prosecuting, said: "The police were called to the Bull's Head, in Donnington, after reports that the defendant was causing damage to his mother's car that was parked outside. He had stopped there while making deliveries for the Bengal Spice based in Dawley.

"He went inside the pub to ask for his mother when he spotted the vehicle, but was told that she had gone away on holiday and had left it there.

"He drove his Zafira into the front of the Corsa and reversed into the front passenger door before driving off. When he was arrested and interviewed he said that he did it due to family issues and when he saw his mother's car he was angry. He wanted to ram it to make him feel better and was happy that he would be paying the price for what he had done."

Miss Hall said the victim Patricia Love's car was damaged to the tune of £3,700, but there was no claim for compensation.

She also said Noto, who has previous convictions, was jailed in September 2015 for other matters. Mr Steven Meredith, defending, told the court that Noto knew that the reason he gave for his actions "did not sound well".

"He says he knows that he has done wrong. He does suffer from significant mental health problems which affects him on a day-to-day basis and has episodes of psychosis," Mr Meredith said.

For the offence the magistrates gave Noto a 12-month community order with a 10-day rehabilitation requirement. He will be subject to an electronic tag curfew from 7am to 7pm for 25 days.

He must pay £135 costs and an £85 victim's surcharge.