Birmingham Mail – A Birmingham gambling addict who lost £10,000 in a decade-long betting spree went on the rampage after frittering away his last £230.
Hassan Yousaf smashed up a roulette machine with a stool, causing damage put at £6,000 at a Birmingham bookies.
The 26-year-old lashed out at Ladbrokes branch in Green Lane, Small Heath, just a year after being convicted over a similar attack at a bookies in Manchester.
After the first vandal attack, Yousaf told police he had gambled away £10,000 on fixed odds machines since he was 16.
He told Birmingham Magistrates’ Court he was not a “danger to society” – but was told he could now be jailed.
John Purser, prosecuting, said Yousaf saw red when he lost the cash at Ladbrokes on April 25.
“A member of staff told the gentleman he should leave, he ignored her,” Mr Purser said.
“Then he picked up a stool and smashed it against the machine three times, smashing the screen and internal mechanisms.
“The damage caused to the machine was valued at £6,000.
