Pushing a chocolate cake through a letterbox resulted in a court appearance for a 'practical joker' after a video was posted on social media. Footage of George Stewart shoving the sweet treat through somebody's door - while others egged the property - was published on TikTok, meaning he could be identified by police.
The 28-year old was subsequently arrested and charged with criminal damage, which he pleaded guilty to when he appeared in the dock at Newcastle Magistrates' Court, reports Chronicle Live. Stewart was fined £40 and ordered to pay £85 costs, £50 compensation and a £16 victim surcharge.
Prosecutor, Kinglsey Njoku, said the victim had left his home in Queen's Court, Arthur's Hill, to attend a football match in Sheffield on January 7 this year. Mr Njoku added: "The victim returned to find chocolate cake had been pushed through and lodged in his letterbox. There was also other items that had been thrown at the house but there's no evidence that the defendant was responsible for that. He does accept responsibility for the cake."
In a statement, the victim said: "As someone who struggles with their physical health and suffers from anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder, it makes this incident very disheartening. I have trouble sleeping and I become worried when I hear noises outside my flat."
The court heard that Stewart, of Hamilton Place, in Arthur's Hill, had one previous conviction for a public order offence from 2017. Gregg Stephens, defending, said Stewart had considered the whole incident a practical joke.
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Mr Stephens told magistrates: "Somebody videoed it and put it on Tik Tok, which is how he was traced. The video showed him pushing chocolate cake through the letterbox. He realises now that it was not very funny and it was stupid and childish behaviour."
