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07th Oct 2015

Man smashes up pub with a JCB after being refused a pint turns out to be the owner

Probably not a good idea

Kevin Beirne

A man who caused £40,000 worth of damage to a pub after he was refused service has been let off all criminal charges after it emerged he was a part-owner of the pub.

Workers at the Royal Oak in Penclawdd, Gower, refused to serve Mark Swistun after last orders had already been called, so he came back with a JCB to destroy the place.

In just a few minutes, he caused almost as much damage as his £60,000 investment in the pub was worth – first steamrolling outdoor tables and chairs, then crashing into a wall and causing part of the roof to collapse.

But police said that there was nothing they could do, with a police source telling The Telegraph: “At the end of the day the building belongs to him so he can do what he likes with it.

“We would have needed someone to make an official complaint about the damage he caused. No one came forward to do that.”

Topics:

Alcohol