Hartlepool man ordered to pay thousands in compensation after drunken scratching spree on neighbours' cars

A man who vandalised seven cars in his street has been ordered to pay £2,600 compensation to vehicle owners.
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Daniel Jebbett, 40, was caught on CCTV scratching the bodywork of seven cars in Carlton Street, Hartlepool, in March of this year.

Teesside Crown Court previously heard he did it after a six-hour drinking session despite not knowing his neighbours or having any issues with them.

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When Jebbett was sentenced by the court last month, he was given a community order and ordered to pay £330 compensation to one victim.

The cars were damaged in Carlton Street, Hartlepool.The cars were damaged in Carlton Street, Hartlepool.
The cars were damaged in Carlton Street, Hartlepool.

The case was back in court again on Friday, October 4, to decide further compensation payments.

Judge Stephen Ashurst ordered him to pay a further £2,600 to another four victims whose vehicles he damaged.

On the last occasion Judge Ashurst said he felt neighbours would prefer to be compensated rather than Jebett being sent to prison.

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The court previously heard that Jebbett had lived in Carlton Street for less than a year and did not know any of his neighbours or have any complaints about them.

But at 2.30am on March 29, a neighbour’s CCTV cameras filmed him scratching seven cars on his side of the road with keys, said prosecutor Dr Christopher Wood.

Two owners said that they were left feeling vulnerable, and they had never had any issues with Jebbett.

He made no comment when he was shown the footage.

The court heard last month how Jebbett had gone studied at Oxford university and had a first class degree in Motor Sport Technology.

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He was said to have travelled the Formula racing tracks of the world and was employed part-time as a technician and driver by a Hartlepool team.

It was also said that he had suffered several close family tragedies and a probation officer said he would benefit from some help in coping with his grief.

Jebbett said he could not remember scratching the cars because he was drunk.

He pleaded guilty to seven counts of criminal damage and has been sentenced to a 12-month community order with 15 days of rehabilitation activities.