A WESTON man who was ‘so paralytic’ he could not remember causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage to three cars has been ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work.

James Cox, aged 32, pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage worth more than £650 when he appeared at North Somerset Courthouse in St Georges on Monday.

The court heard how Claire Aplin and Tom Forrister left a party at 2am on New Year’s Day to find Cox hitting their vehicles.

Jane Cooper, prosecuting, said Cox was ‘stumbling around the place’ when he tore the door mirror off one car and smashed the headlight of another.

The couple then followed Cox and saw him damage a third car, belonging to Neil Girding, by ripping off a door mirror. Miss Aplin and Mr Forrister followed Cox to his home in Locking Road and informed the police.

Police arrested Cox at his home, and while he was in custody he was sick twice and officers were so concerned about his level of intoxication they called an ambulance.

Cox later told officers he had been drinking all day and had consumed a bottle of whisky and several lagers.

He also told police he could not remember damaging the cars, but if witnesses had seen him ‘he must have done’.

Cox suffers from anxiety and depression so is in receipt of benefits.

Sue Cameron, mitigating, said: “He made an early admission despite not being able to remember.

“It’s safe to say he drank a huge amount of alcohol and the only explanation he can give is his mum has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and it has had a huge affect on his mental health.”

Chair of the bench, Alan Webb, said: “We accept your early guilty plea as you were so paralytic you have no idea what happened.

“You caused a great deal of damage to property belonging to three perfectly innocent people.”

He was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work, a 12-month community order, and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge and compensation totalling £732.42.