Racing champ did ‘burnout’ in cafe

The room was filled with smoke and noise was excessive as the rider was cheered on by others connected to the event.

UK rider Paul Cooper, 37, admitted a charge of causing criminal damage to the cafe floor when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Prosecuting Advocate Jenny McVeigh told the court how the defendant had won the event for the third consecutive year.

At about 3.45pm he was cleaning his machine outside the cafe.

He started to push it to his van but then turned and pushed it into Vistas.

About 20 people connected to the meeting were inside the cafe and when the defendant revved his machine and began spinning the back wheel at speed they cheered him on.

Police took a statement from a carer in the cafe who had been looking after somebody in there at the time. The incident came as a shock to others unconnected to the meeting who were queuing for food and drink.

Three tiles on the floor were melted by the friction.

The cafe owner had spare ones to replace them but said he would need a tradesman to carry out the work.

Cooper made a full confession to police in interview.

After cleaning his bike he said he had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to wheel it into the cafe.

He had got caught up in the moment and had acted foolishly. His only previous convictions were in the UK and of no relevance.

Advocate Phoebe Cobb said her client wholeheartedly regretted doing what he had done.

His guilty plea was entered on the basis that he had been reckless and he had not intended to damage the floor.

He had not fled the scene and had pushed the bike to his van afterwards. He handed himself into police later and fully co-operated with them.

She asked the court to deal with the matter today as she said her client intended to get the ferry home that night.

Judge Graeme McKerrell said it had been a foolish and misguided act. If he had been a teenager it might have been more understandable but he was nearly 40.

‘You are experienced with motorbikes and you must have realised damage would be caused,’ he said.

His main concern was that Vistas was a business used by families and young people in particular would have been very frightened by what they would have seen and heard.

The fact that people were cheering you on, in short terms, is just pathetic and they should be ashamed of themselves if that is what they did,’ said Judge McKerrell.

Cooper was fined £1,500 and made to pay compensation of £250.

Both had to be paid before he left the court building.