Polite British vandal guilty of car damage
LONDON -- A British professor who specializes in cities and urban life has been convicted of damaging luxury cars with graffiti that was surprisingly polite.
Stephen Graham was found guilty yesterday of using a screwdriver to scrawl inoffensive words such as "very silly," "really wrong" and "arbitrary" into the paintwork of vehicles including a Mercedes, an Audi and a Volvo.
Prosecutors said the spree caused $29,000 in damage.
Graham, who teaches at Newcastle University in northeast England, pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Newcastle Crown Court.
Graham's lawyer said the 47-year-old academic had no recollection of his August vandalism spree.
Graham previously blamed a bad reaction to alcohol, antibiotics and prescription drugs for his behavior.
Judge James Gos said he would sentence Graham next month.-- AP
Full coverage of the winter storm from NewsdayTV The NewsdayTV team was across Long Island monitoring the winter weather and what's next.
Full coverage of the winter storm from NewsdayTV The NewsdayTV team was across Long Island monitoring the winter weather and what's next.
