Tenant caused £8,000 damage in flat

A WARRINGTON landlord was left with an £8,000 bill after a Romanian tenant flew into a drunken rage and trashed the bathroom and other property at his flat
Ionel Cuibotariu, 31, formerly of Warrington but now living in Gorton, Manchester, smashed a sink, toilet and pipes and then wrecked a television set, DVD player and DVDs belonging to another tenant.
Cuibotariu pleaded guilty at Warrington Crown Court to two offences of criminal damage and was made subject of a 12-month community order, with 40-hours unpaid work.
Steven Hoolohan, prosecuting, said Cuibotariu, who had been drinking, accused fellow tenant of stealing £500 from him. He flew into a rage when the other man left the room, taking out his frustrations on bathroom fittings and other property.
As a result of damage in the bathroom, pipes burst putting the total cost of repairs up to £8,000.
Michael Davies, defending, told the court the damage caused was consequential to what Cuibotariu had originally caused at the time of the incident.
He added: “This is a man who is not prone to committing crime as he had no previous convictions. It was a reaction to the loss of what was a lot of money to him.”
Judge Thomas Teague told the defendant: “You had clearly been drinking and thought another tenant had stolen money from you. You are a hard working man and these offences are out of character for you.”
He said he was not making an order for Cuibotariu pay for any of the damage.