Moment man throws gang signs and eats takeaway on police car bonnet – as he’s fined for criminal damage
The damage caused meant police had a marked vehicle off the road for five days
A man who feasted on a takeaway off the bonnet of a police car before booting the wing mirror off the vehicle has been fined.
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Adam Bachir-Belmehdi, 21, was convicted of causing criminal damage after CCTV outside Bishopsgate Police Station caught him in the act in the early hours of 3 May.
Footage showed Bachir-Belmehdi, of McGrath Road, Stratford, approach the marked police car, parked in a bay outside the station, before lying across the bonnet and windscreen while his friend took photos of him.
The 21-year-old then proceeded to eat his late-night meal off the bonnet of the car, before ripping the wing mirror off.
The entire incident was captured on CCTV, fed into the City of London Police control room, and officers were on the scene within seconds of him beginning to carry out the damage.
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Bachir-Belmehdi was fined and ordered to pay costs totalling £957 at Westminster Magistrates Court on 18 May – £200 in compensation, a £480 fine, £85 in costs to CPS and a £192 surcharge.
The damage to the police car meant the City of London Police had a marked vehicle off the road for five days, which could have had a detrimental impact on the response to emergency 999 calls.
Police Constable Oliver Gage, who attended the incident, said: “Bachir-Belmehdi’s actions were completely unnecessary and it’s incredibly childish behaviour. As a result of his actions, officers were without one of our vehicles for a number of days.
“We do not tolerate this sort of behaviour in the City of London and we want to make it clear that anyone who behaves in this manner will face justice.“
The force added: “The City’s CCTV network remains one of the most advanced policing assets in the country, allowing officers and control room staff to track suspects in real time, direct resources immediately and protect businesses, workers and the public.”