A woman had a lighted cigarette posted through her front door, followed by a broken mobile phone, and then the man responsible kicked at the door hard enough to do £200 worth of damage.

James Robert Hewer, aged 22, of Trenance Road, Camborne, who pleaded guilty to criminal damage, told Truro magistrates he could not explain why he had done this, and supposed he must have an anger problem.

Chris Hart, prosecuting, said the woman had called the police in the early hours when Hewer and another man had been arguing noisily outside her home.

Two hours later, at about 4 am, Hewer knocked on her front door and asked if he could be let in. When she said he could not he put the cigarette through the door and then the phone and said he was going to blame her for the damage to the phone and began to kick the front door. She called the police and he was arrested. Hewer was given a conditional discharge for a year and told to pay £200 compensation and £10 costs.