A woman who caused hundreds of pounds’ worth of damage by spraying graffiti on two businesses in Northallerton told police, “it’s just a bit of paint.”
Kirsty Mayne, 32, sprayed a red circle with a large cross onto the front of the buildings in High Street.
The symbols, whose meaning was unknown, were sprayed onto the front of Collecatamania Ltd, the hobbies shop at Central Arcade, and CEX UK, the second-hand electronics and gadgets store in High Street on or around September 23 last year, York magistrates heard.
Prosecutor Sarah Tyrer said that the owner of Collectamania discovered the graffiti damage on the front door when he opened up his shop the following morning.
The owner reported the matter to police and said it took him an hour to remove the spray paint.
No value could be attached to the damage because it was repaired by the owner himself.
On the same morning at CEX UK, the manager of the franchise store found the same graffiti symbol, in red paint, on the front of his store. The damage caused was put at £250.
Police trawled through CCTV footage from cameras around the two businesses and identified Mayne as the perpetrator.
She was brought in for questioning in February this year and admitted that she was in the area at the time but claimed she couldn’t remember spray-painting either building.
When asked about the significance of the red symbol, similar to a Sun Cross or Solar Cross, her response was guarded and cryptic, saying only that it referred to “a certain someone”.
She initially denied causing any damage to the shops, telling police: “It’s just got a bit of paint on.”
Ms Tyrer said that Mayne showed no contrition for the acts of vandalism.
Mayne, of Knotto Bottom Way, Northallerton, ultimately admitted two counts of causing graffiti damage to property when she appeared at York Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Wednesday, August 20).
The court heard she had one previous conviction for resisting a police officer from August 2022.
Her solicitor Jackie East said that Mayne had serious mental-health issues stemming from a traumatic childhood and had been receiving psychiatric help around the time of the graffiti attacks.
She said that Mayne was a cannabis user at the time of the offences but had since kicked the habit.
Magistrates gave Mayne a 12-month conditional discharge, which means she won’t be punished for the offences unless she reoffends within that period.
She was, however, ordered to pay £250 compensation to each of the shops which she graffitied. The financial penalties will be taken from her benefits.
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