A man who threw a table out of a fourth floor hotel window was only caught because his friend uploaded it to Snapchat.
Richie Fraser appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted pushing the table out of the abandoned Holiday Inn hotel at the site of the old Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
It is understood a video of the incident was posted to social media showing the table smashing to the ground “metres away from a public footpath”.
The 22-year-old’s solicitor described his client’s antics as “reckless” and “foolish”.
Fraser also admitted assaulting a 14-year-old who mocked him and threw stones at him as he carried out his duties as an Amazon delivery driver.
Table smashed close to path
Fiscal depute Victoria Kerr told the court that police received a Snapchat video clip from a member of the public in January 2022 that appeared to show the Holiday Inn and then a male throwing a circular table out of a window.
The table was then seen to drop from the fourth-floor window to the ground below where it smashed.
Police managed to identify the person in the video as Fraser, Ms Kerr said.
She also stated that the video clearly showed Fraser throwing the table into the ground meters from a footpath used by the general public.
During the second incident, on October 19 2021, the court heard that Fraser was working as an Amazon delivery driver in Brechin when some schoolboys started taunting him.
“The accused began shouting at the children,” Ms Kerr said.
The boys carried on their way but ran into Fraser again a few streets up where he approached one boy, aged 14, and kicked him to the leg.
In the dock, Fraser pleaded guilty to one charge of culpably and recklessly damaging property to the danger of the public.
He also admitted a further charge of assault.
Defence solicitor Liam Mcallister told the court that his client had entered the “abandoned and derelict building” where he took the “disastrous and foolish” decision to throw a table out of a fourth-story window.
“It was due to immaturity. It was reckless and it was a stupid thing that he did and Mr Fraser accepts that,” Mr Mcallister said.
“Someone recorded it their phone and it was posted online and it went all over social media.”
In relation to the assault on the schoolboy, Mr Mcallister said his client had been subjected to “derogatory remarks” and reacted in a “moment of madness”.
Sheriff Nigel Cooke told Fraser that these were “historic” offences but added that they were “both serious matters”.
“The charge of culpable and reckless conduct is a very serious matter,” the sheriff said.
“You had no idea who was standing below when you threw that table out of the window.”
Sheriff Cooke fined Fraser, of Whitestripes Road, Aberdeen, a total of £337.
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