Angry boss smashed-up ex-employee's car

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on Tuesday, October 4, how Matthew Stanley Ashbrook, 23, of Biggin-by-Hartington, at New Haven, near Buxton, jumped up and down on the victim’s Vauxhall Astra outside his home on Oker Avenue, Darley Dale.

Prosecuting solicitor Angela Hadfield said: “The victim was woken by a loud banging noise from outside his property and he went into the court yard and saw Ashbrook. He was jumping up and down on the roof of his Vauxhall Astra.”

There were three people outside the victim’s home, according to Mrs Hadfield, including Ashbrook who also ripped off the Vauxhall Astra’s driver’s side wing mirror and damaged a fence.

Mrs Hadfield added: “Ashbrook grabbed the fence and shook it violently.”

Ashbrook pleaded guilty to damaging the Vauxhall Astra and also admitted damaging the fence after the incident on June 12.

Defence solicitor Pari Seeley said Ashbrook owns his own company with others and the complainant had been an employee who had been dismissed for alleged grevious misconduct. Miss Seeley added that the complainant had allegedly retaliated to the dismissal by damaging Ashbrook’s vehicle and the defendant then damaged the former employee’s Vauxhall Astra.

Magistrates told Ashbrook that irrespective of any grievance he was not entitled to take the law into his own hands. They fined him £210 and he must pay a £30 victim surcharge, £85 costs and £1,520 in compensation.