A war memorial vandal who threw 50 poppy wreath in a drink-fuelled incident has been convicted of two new crimes.
Ashwani Kumar, 56, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court via video link from Bullington prison yesterday morning charged with trespassing on a railway line and criminal damage. He admitted the offences.
Crown prosecutor Keith Ballinger said the defendant, of Cricklade Road, was spotted walking down a privately-owned path on the Cocklebury Sidings electrification training site
Kumar was talking alongside a live railway line, on the wrong side of the barrier, at just after midday on the 12 January this year.
He proceeded to throw objects are vehicles on the Network Rail site and punched the wing mirror of a lorry causing more than £138 worth of damage.
Police officers attended and arrested the defendant, who told them his son had passed away and he wanted to travel to London by train. He said he didn’t know how to get to the railway station, so walked along the track.
Kumar received a community order at around the time of these offences for earlier racially aggravated threatening behaviour. He was also sentenced to eight weeks imprisonment for throwing 50 poppy wreaths across the floor at the cenotaph in Swindon town centre in 2019.
Representing himself, he told the court he suffers from depression and other mental health issues. He added that he has struggled with a drinking problem for many years, something he was getting help from Turning Point for.
Talking about his mental health issues, he said: “I’ve got no family, I don’t know anyone in Swindon”.
“I don’t remember anything much [about the incident]”, he told the magistrates.
A fine of £200 was imposed on Kumar, plus a £34 victim surcharge and £85 costs.
