Eltham Hotel pokies machine smashed by punter James Parr
It took just an hour for Reservoir man to become such a loser, he took his anger out on a defenceless pokies machine, smashing it with a lounge chair. And that’s not all the man had to go to court for.
North
Don't miss out on the headlines from North. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A punter was so angry he couldn’t spin up a win he used a lounge chair to smash up a pokies machine at Eltham Hotel, a court has heard.
James Parr, who is no stranger to the court system, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and driving while suspended at Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 12.
The court heard the Reservoir man had been at Eltham Hotel for about an hour on Saturday, August 31, 2019, when he lost his temper with the machine about 10.15pm.
Only a minute after he was spoken to by security, Parr picked up a lounge chair and hit a pokies machine twice, cracking the screen and leaving it unusable, the court heard.
Parr then ran from the pub, and told police when he was arrested days later “I intended to smash the machine”.
The court heard the hotel had to replace the $6000 machine because of the damage.
Parr told the court he had just been playing the pokies too much.
“I’d lost too much money,” he said.
MORE: FAKE CASH USED TO RIP OFF BUNDOORA SHOPS
DRIVER’S POOR EXCUSE FOR DRIVING UNLICENSED
MAGISTRATE: ‘YOU’RE VERY LUCKY THAT NO ONE’S DEAD’
The former bricklayer told the court he “was just picking up a friend” when he was caught driving unlicensed on Broad Gully Rd, Diamond Creek on November 22, 2019.
Magistrate Jennifer Tregent said Parr had “quite a history” of unlicensed driving, on top of prior incidents of drug driving, damaging property, burglaries and breaching community corrections orders.
She warned him to stay off the road to avoid going to jail, fined him $800 with conviction and ordered he pay $1000 in restitution to Eltham Hotel.