Man paint-bombed furniture store after his new sofa wouldn't fit through the front door

A man who gave the wrong measurements for a new sofa which would not fit into his house claimed he paint-bombed a furniture store in Northern Ireland because he was unable to get his money back. Robert Alan McDowell (47), unemployed, who lives in Ballymena's Harryville area, struck at the Harveys branch in the nearby Braidwater Retail Park on January 27 this year. At Ballymena Magistrates Court on Thursdsy he admitted causing criminal damage which cost £833 to remove paint from shutters and windows.
A prosecutor said McDowell had a dispute with Harveys over an invoice. Defense solicitor Stewart Ballentine said McDowell had paid £700 for a suite of furniture. He added: "It appears he got his measurements wrong and they could not get it through the door". Mr Ballentine said the sofa was taken back and when a refund was not immediately forthcoming " the red mist came down".
However, he now accepts he did wrong and is remorseful. District Judge Des Perry told McDowell he should have contacted a solicitor regarding the dispute and by taking matters into his own hands he now has to pay more. Judge Perry said he would defer sentence until September to allow the defendant to pay for the damage he caused at the store.