Ex-Scotch College pupil Daniel Hambour, Novar Gardens, charged with Adelaide vandalism rampage

An ex-Scotch College student has faced court on more than 55 property damage charges after he allegedly attacked 90-plus cars in Adelaide’s CBD.

A Novar Gardens man will remain behind bars after he was arrested for allegedly slashing the tyres of dozens of cars in a vandalism spree through Adelaide’s CBD.

Daniel Hambour, 39, was charged with 55 counts of property damage in relation to the incident that police say impacted more than 90 vehicles.

The former Scotch College student appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday and made no application for bail.

Victims initially reported their cars were damaged on Wright St, including one person who had three of their vehicle tyres slashed about 3.15am Tuesday.

When police arrived they checked surrounding streets and discovered multiple cars had been damaged across Gouger St, Mill St, Coglin St, Pitt St and its car park.

Daniel Hambour, 37, Novar Gardens. Picture: Facebook

More cars were discovered damaged on Waymouth St, Young St, Eliza St, Morphett St and a nearby car park.

Following an investigation, police arrested a Novar Gardens man, 39, in the CBD about 9pm Tuesday.

He was charged with multiple counts of property damage, and refused bail, expected to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Darshil Patel, a baker for Market St Cafe, was met with the damage as he attempted to make bread deliveries about 6am Tuesday.

“All of the tyres on the company car were slashed and my car was slashed so it was troublesome,” Mr Patel, 21, said.

He said his car had to be towed, and two tyres replaced which would cost about $450.

Darshil Patel had his tyres slashed in Coglin Street, in the city. Picture: Kelly Barnes

David Bobbitt had his rental car tyres slashed in Coglin Street in the city. Picture: Kelly Barnes

One of the cars vandalised in Wright Street. Picture: Kelly Barnes

“It was frustrating, there were tow trucks all over the city,” Mr Patel said.

David Bobbitt was leaving his Market St home, about to drive to work when he discovered his rental car’s tyres had been punctured.

He said about 10 cars on the street had been impacted.

“It was a rental so I ended up working with the rental company to get a spare tyre then I was good to go,” Mr Bobbitt, 26, said.

The engineer is in Adelaide temporarily for work, originally from Arizona, and said the three holes in his tyres seemed too small to be from a knife’s impact.

A police officer with one of the cars in Wright Street. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Cars in Compton St also had their tyres slashed. Picture: Kelly Barnes

A tow truck takes one of the cars from Morphett street. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Bob Jane T-Marts on Gouger St were inundated with calls on Tuesday, working on more than 30 cars targeted in the vandalism by lunchtime.

Site manager Tim Berry said every car he had seen had the letter ‘V’ scratched into the body.

“It’s really weird … some tyres have been scratched, others stabbed,” Mr Berry said.

“Obviously it’s put a bit of a strain on our business … all of a sudden we’ve got all of these people that want their tyres fixed straight away.

“We’ll be pretty busy over the next couple of days I expect.”

CCTV in the area showed a man approach one of the cars about 2.30am before stabbing the driver’s side tyre.

Hambour will appear in court again on March 28.

It follows a similar incident in Black Forest in November 2019, where vandals went on a spree slashing tyres and damaging the duco of up to 60 cars.

A month earlier, a car was set ablaze and eight others were vandalised at a car yard in Elizabeth.

Originally published as Ex-Scotch College pupil Daniel Hambour, Novar Gardens, charged with Adelaide vandalism rampage