Furious customer smashes SIX display TVs in shop after staff refuse to replace his 8-month-old set

When his expensive television went on the blink eight months after he bought it, Allan Sturgess was annoyed, but not unduly worried.

He was confident that the breakdown would be covered by the warranty on the £800 set.

So he was not expecting any problems when he went back to his local Comet store and politely asked for a replacement set.

His mood darkened considerably, however, when he was told the fault was not covered after all, because he had not installed the set correctly in his home in the first place.

When unsympathetic staff told him it was just 'tough luck' and he would have to buy another TV, 36-year-old Mr Sturgess exploded into rage, a court heard yesterday.

Intent on revenge, he returned to the store in Blackpool with a hammer and smashed a £999 TV on display there.

Blackpool magistrates heard that police had little trouble tracking him down.

The store's deputy manager Gordon Knight saw Sturgess leaving after the first attack and managed to take down his car's registration number.

Staff also remembered his complaint about the TV and found his name and address in their sales records.

Sturgess, from Blackpool, was interviewed by police six days later, but denied going to the store and damaging the television.

The questioning clearly renewed his sense of grievance. however. Hours after talking to police he went back to Comet and destroyed five more top-of-the-range TVs in front of stunned staff and customers, this time causing damage estimated at almost £5,000.

When police caught up with him again, he admitted he had been furious over the way his complaint had been handled.

Yesterday Sturgess, who is unemployed, was handed an 18-month supervision order after pleading guilty to two charges of criminal damage.

Leisa Splaine, defending, said he had bought the £800 TV from the store and paid £360 insurance for it, believing the set would be covered in case of accident or damage.

Miss Splaine said: 'He asked about the television being replaced or repaired and was told basically "tough luck" and that he would have to buy a new one'.