Drunk defendant ordered to pay compensation after falling down and smashing court toilet

A defendant who drank vodka to calm his nerves before appearing in court ended up knocking back too much and fell down the toilet. Magistrates heard how Naheem Gorsi was so drunk he crashed into the public lavatory at Pennine Magistrates Court in Burnley, Lancashire, smashing it into three pieces and causing damage to the tune of £450.

Gorsi had been drawing attention to himself in the waiting room because of the state he was in. He went to use the toilet and a security guard heard some young people, who had opened the door, laughing at him, and a smash. The officer then found the lavatory in bits on the floor. The defendant, who had been due at a fines court over a drink driving conviction, ended up back before the bench for a further hearing, where he admitted damage at the court.
Gorsi, 34, of Nelson, was ordered to pay £300 compensation. Prosecutor Mrs Alex Mann told the court it appeared the defendant had “spent the day” drinking vodka and coke, hidden in a coke bottle. He became more and more disruptive and had been told off for playing his music too loud on his phone and smoking in the wrong place outside the court, Miss Mann said: “It seems he was nervous about his court hearing.
“He did acknowledge he shouldn’t be in front of the court drunk.” Mr John Rusius, for Gorsi, said he had had a drug problem in the past and had managed to resolve that after his family put him through a detoxification program. He had only recently come out, wasn’t feeling great and had some drink because he had pain in his legs. The defendant came to court, had to wait rather longer than expected and drank more than he should have.