Flower display wrecker owns up
A student caught on film wrecking a town centre floral display today apologised and branded himself "daft."
Adam Thorpe voluntarily faced the cameras after he was identified as the vandal pictured in last Thursday's Evening Post, pulling a container of flowers apart in Market Street.
The Hindley 19-year-old's horrified dad immediately reported him to the police after seeing the paper and both say that while inexcusable, the deed was "completely out of character."
And photography student Adam was upset that so much prominence was given to his misdemeanour after he has twice been assaulted on Wigan's streets in recent weeks. He says that at least one of the attacks happened in view of the town centre's CCTV cameras, but the authorities have not chosen to issue those images in order to catch his assailants.
He faces fines of up to 7,500 for criminal damage and littering, although Wigan Council says it may consider waiving the latter penalty if he agrees to do some gardening and photography work.
As for the criminal damage matter, that will be dealt with by the courts.
Adam said today: "I was daft. I was a bit drunk and you do silly things when you are drunk, but that's no excuse and I apologise for my actions.
"I was at a college leavers' do on June 16 when you show all your work, and the wine was flowing.
"Afterwards my friend and I walked up Market Street and as we went past this tub of flowers I only meant to pull a leaf off but the whole plant came out. I have to admit it didn't cross my mind to put it back again though.
"I pretty much forgot about it then until my friend rang up to say I was on the front page of the paper. I went to the website to check and I thought 'bloody hell'.
"My family found out by themselves.
"They were a bit miffed but we are agreed that it seems strange that something like this should end up on the front page and yet I got jumped twice in a month and no CCTV of any of those serious crimes has been put out and no-one caught."
Adam's dad Dane said: "When I saw the front page I was horrified because he is not that sort of lad.
"I rang the police immediately and gave his name and they told me that until there is an official complaint there is no case to answer.
"I class this as a minor thing. He was made a bit of a fool over it, but he was silly and he knows it."
A Wigan Council spokesman said today that it took a very dim view of the whole episode.
He said: "The crime has now been reported to the police. We cannot let behaviour like this go unchallenged. But if he wants to get in touch and propose to do something like re-planting work and, as he is interested in photography, perhaps a session with one of the council's media people, then the litter fine will be forgotten."
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Weather for Wigan
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light sleet
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: -2 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
