Man appears at court after destroying bottles of alcohol in Newcastle Aldi

A man has appeared at court after he was seen destroying over £100 worth of booze in the middle of Aldi.

Police were called to the supermarket on Walker Road in Newcastle after Frantisek Sandor was seen smashing bottles of alcohol in the middle of the store. After being aggressive to staff, the 33-year-old stopped what he was doing and left the shop.

Sandor was caught after police identified him from CCTV. He had caused £150 worth of damage.

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This week, Sandor appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court where he pleaded guilty to criminal damage. He was given a conditional discharge.

Stephen Davies, prosecuting, said: "Staff were made aware of the defendant in Aldi and they were concerned about his behaviour. He had a number of bottles of alcohol and was throwing them on the ground and breaking them. This went on for some time and he wouldn't engage with staff.

"He was somewhat aggressive towards staff then left. It was captured on CCTV and he was identified from that. He was arrested and interviewed but gave no reply."

The court heard Sandor had a previous conviction for knife possession dating back to 2022. He was jailed for 10 months for the offence. He also had a drunk and disorderly conviction, also dating back to 2022.

Janice Hall, defending, said it was "not clear" why that matter couldn't have been handled by way of a caution, but said Sandor had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

Sandor, who gave no address in court, was given a six month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £150 compensation. He must also pay £261 total court costs.