The moment a pensioner took revenge on their neighbour – who he told to “pipe down” – by keying their £60,000 Lexus amid a furious residents’ association row was caught on camera.
Keith Ardley was said to have been jealous of Marius Crisan’s brand new Lexus and was caught on CCTV sliding his key down the side of the black hybrid, near the block of flats where they both lived, at Wimbledon Hall, Bournemouth.
The shocking incident came as tensions between Ardley and Mr Crisan had been building, after the victim moved to the flats and tried to set up a residents’ association.
But Ardley 75, who had lived in the building with his wife Elizabeth for 40 years, seemingly did not take well to the move and warned Mr Crisan to “pipe down and keep a low profile” as he was new.
The retired IT council worker eventually became so angry with his neighbour that he damaged his car on January 8, 2022.
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BNPS)
A video shows him holding the key in his right hand as he scores three intermittent lines on the car.
When Mr Crisan, 40, noticed the damage the next day, he asked the security company that runs the CCTV to check the footage.
Ardley, who is partially deaf and blind, was caught and prosecuted for causing £1,000 criminal damage.
But the defendant denied the offence and even went as far as telling the court that he “never tells lies”.
Mrs Ardley also gave evidence claiming she had seen scratches the day before the incident.
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Jason Spelman, prosecuting, told magistrates in Poole that the couple had come up with excuses that just “didn’t make sense”.
He said: “The defendant used a key to scratch three lines into Mr Crisan’s new car. We have CCTV which clearly shows the defendant scoring lines into the car.
“The defendant suggested that he was simply running his fingers along the car to feel for the scratches his wife had mentioned the day before.”
Giving evidence, Ardley said: “In just four seconds I ran my fingers along the scratches, but it was only along half of the car.
“Even then I couldn’t have scratched the car because the keys in my hand were in a leather pouch. I never lie, me and my wife have always told the truth.”
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BNPS)
Mr Spelman put it to the pensioner: “You’re telling a big lie now aren’t you? How likely is it that you immediately found them as you walked along the car?
“In the footage we can see that you paid no real attention to the car at all. You were being furtive because you thought that nobody was watching and that you would get away with it.
“Were you jealous of Mr Crisan with his expensive car? You had a very unfriendly conversation when he tried to form a residents association.
“You told him to ‘pipe down and keep a low profile’ because he was new to the block.”
Magistrates found Ardley guilty after seeing the video footage.
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BNPS)
Debbie Scudmore, mitigating, said her client had no previous convictions and was of good character.
She said: “He has vehemently denied committing the offence and his wife has said she saw the scratches on the car the day before.”
Daniel Church, presiding magistrate, told Ardley: “I have taken into consideration your previous good character and read the letters from old colleagues vouching for your integrity.
“However, listening to the evidence you and Elizabeth have given I have found significant inconsistencies.
“In the CCTV a flash of your keys shows that they were not securely in the leather pouch like you said. In your statement given to the police you said that your wife showed you where the scratch was on the car as you walked past.
“In the footage she never looks back at you and she wasn’t even aware that you had touched the car.
“The CCTV did not show you feeling the car with your fingertips. I am satisfied that you did scratch the car and I do find you guilty of the charge of criminal damage.”
Ardley was ordered to pay Mr Crisan £1,000 in compensation and £620 to cover costs of the trial.