A businessman who caused an estimated £40,000 worth of damage to a pub after driving a JCB into it, has been let off criminal charges because he is the owner.
According to locals, 45 year old Mark Switsun was refused a drink after the 11pm closing time, he then left only to return at the controls of a 28 ton digger and ploughed it straight into the extension of the pub.
As a result, Switsun was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage but was released without charge, with police saying they were powerless to charge him. A police source explained:
“At the end of the day the building belongs to him so he can do what he likes with it…We would have needed someone to make an official complaint about the damage he causedâ€
Only the year previously had Mr Switsun – a wealthy shellfish factory owner – decided to invest £60,000 into the Royal Oak pub in Penclawdd with his business partner Colin McDonald.
A village local summed up:
“It was a classic case of cutting off your nose to spite your face…But I suppose the police couldn’t charge him because he owns the pub and he can do what he wants with it.”
Another local Rob Lowe, who lives opposite the pub explains
“My daughters had just finished watching a film and heard a loud noise…A JCB with long prongs at the end was being driven through the extension…The prongs went through the window and were lifted up through the roof…My daughters were horrified.â€
Luckily, nobody was harmed during the partial demolition, though it’s more than likely that Mr Switsun’s pride and his bank balance both took a knock.
BT www.propertysurveying.co.uk 13.10.15