Drunken man damaged Buttermarket shopping centre doors during early hours
Michael Ruffles damaged doors to the Buttermarket shopping centre in Ipswich - Credit: Archant
A drunken factory worker who damaged doors to a popular Ipswich shopping centre while trying to get into the building has been ordered to pay compensation.
Michael Ruffles, 30, had been drinking Jack Daniels whiskey when he tried to enter the Buttermarket shopping centre on St Stephen's Lane around 2.15am on February 23 this year.
Suffolk Magistrates' Court heard police were called after receiving a report of an intoxicated man trying to get into the town centre shopping centre.
When officers arrived, they found an intoxicated man who was unsteady on his feet, Colette Harper, prosecuting, told the court.
The damage caused to the doors was estimated by the company to be around £1,700 to £1,900, Mrs Harper said.
Appearing in the dock before magistrates on Tuesday wearing a white shirt and tie, with a black hooded top, Ruffles, of Woolverstone Close, Ipswich, pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage.
The court heard that the father-of-one had no previous convictions.
Most Read
- 1 Suffolk campsite named among the best in the UK by the Guardian
- 2 Woman injured after car flips on its roof near Ipswich
- 3 Developer criticised for 'failing to meet obligations'
- 4 Company fined £12,000 for repeatedly failing to clear Ipswich flat's waste
- 5 Forbidden Suffolk: 6 places you can't visit in the county
- 6 Men convicted of kidnap and rape of Ipswich girl
- 7 Mother who befriended son's killer discusses his new book
- 8 Jail for man who drove stolen car at police officers
- 9 Fencing around historic Trimley station causes scare for local community
- 10 Friends raise money for garden for terminally ill Suffolk mum
Declan Gallagher, representing Ruffles, said his client had "no recollection" of the incident but was cooperative with officers.
Mr Gallagher said Ruffles had been drinking a "substantial amount" of Jack Daniels on his own that evening.
"He had been out drinking that night, there were no triggers to what happened. He simply had alcohol on his own," Mr Gallagher told the court.
Mr Gallagher added that Ruffles was now back living with his father having been homeless and was receiving mental health support.
Ruffles works full-time as a warehouse picker at a factory in Stowmarket, the court heard.
Magistrates ordered Ruffles to pay £1,000 in compensation to the Buttermarket shopping centre, but he was not made to pay court costs or a victim surcharge.
