Man tries to destroy roof with hammer in bitter neighbour dispute

  • Watch as Mark Coates, 57, smashes roof tiles with a hammer as police try to coax him down

A man has been found guilty of criminal damage after he smashed holes in the roof of his house, and that of a neighbour, in Sussex.Mark Coates, 57, wrecked the roof after a boundary dispute about a fence with a neighbour in Robertsbridge.

Coates was found not guilty of harassment at Lewes Crown Court.

Footage captured by Sussex Police shows Coates sitting on the top of the adjoining homes, hurling the roof tiles.

Aerial footage shows the damage to the homes Credit: Crown Prosecution Service

A police officer can be heard asking him: "Tell me, what are you trying to achieve?"

Coates replied: "Er, I'm trying to achieve ventilation."

He then continues smashing tiles with a hammer. The officer is then heard saying: "You're just damaging all the properties. It's not safe for you to be up there. That's our main concern is your safety and it's not safe is it?"

Coates is due to be sentenced in January.

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