Man accused of criminal damage has charge dropped after beefburger grilling

A MAN accused of criminal damage to a £5 (€5.53) beefburger supper walked free from court yesterday after the charge against him was dropped.

Stephen Morgan, 31, was arrested for robbery by four policemen and led from his home in handcuffs to undergo a 20-hour grilling at their hands.

The self-employed security worker, of Loughor, near Swansea, south Wales, spoke of his relief yesterday that the ordeal was finally over.

He said he had feared a criminal record would destroy his business, and added: “I’m just glad sanity has prevailed.”

David Singh, his solicitor, branded the whole episode “a waste of public money” after yesterday’s hearing at Swansea Magistrates’ Court.

Mr Morgan had settled down to an innocent evening watching ITV1’s The X Factor with family and friends on October 10.

The group decided on a takeaway supper and ordered food from Pepino’s Pizza parlour in the nearby town of Gorseinon.

When the order arrived minus two beefburgers, Mr Morgan complained and was told that the missing meal would be sent right over.

When it then failed to arrive he contacted the pizza parlour again asking for a refund and claims the company agreed to it.

Moments later, however, the beefburgers were delivered and immediately rejected by Mr Morgan, who by then had already eaten.

Instead he demanded £15 compensation for his trouble, which was eventually paid over, and the beefburgers were discarded.

Several hours later a four-man police team arrived and initially arrested him for robbery.

“Quite simply this case should never have come to court. It was a waste of public money,” Mr Singh said today. “He was arrested by four policeman at home and then spent 20 hours in custody being questioned and giving statements.

“There was a brief hearing last week when the case was reviewed and that was re-reviewed at the weekend by lawyers before the case against him was dropped.

“It started off with him being arrested for robbery, from robbery he was charged with criminal damage then they tried to allege a breach of the peace, now it’s zero. The whole process must have cost a couple of thousand pounds, for beefburgers which cost £5.”

He said the beefburgers by then belonged to Mr Morgan anyway because the company’s policy was to give the food for free in compensation.