Gary Kirkham ripped tiles off and ‘headbutted them’ before he crashed into the cafe area of the Royal Voluntary Services centre
A half-naked man plunged through a roof during a police stand-off, leaving a charity with a PS3,000 repair bill. Gary Kirkham ripped tiles off and ‘headbutted them’ before he crashed into the cafe area of the Royal Voluntary Services (RVS) centre.
The 42-year-old, of no fixed address, admitted causing criminal damage and was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay PS500 compensation. But that has been of little help to the RVS, which was forced to close the building for two days and been unable to serve hot food to cash-strapped service users.
Centre manager, Helen Podmore, was alerted by Staffordshire Police at around 5.50pm on November 24, she told StokeonTrentLive. She said: “It was a bit of a weird one. The police said to me ‘can you come down as we’ve got a half-naked man on the roof and you are the key-holder’.”
She continued: “It was the first night of Winter Wonderland and the sound was really loud so he couldn’t hear what police were saying. They wanted someone to come in the building to have a look. They couldn’t get to him. He was quite erratic on the roof, he kept pulling off tiles and headbutting them.”
Helen said she was called back to the centre in Hanley at around 9pm as the man had fallen through the rood and into the cafe area. She said: “Just as I got to the centre he was being taken away in an ambulance. We had eight holes in the roof and there was damage to three rooflights too. He was pulling that hard that he’s pulled off one of the rims, so they need repairing too.”
She said the incident had a “massive impact” on the centre, adding: “We had to shut for two days as we didn’t know how stable the roof was in the cafe and we have elderly people coming in here. Some of those who come here haven’t got family around and they wouldn’t see another soul all day if it wasn’t for us.
“We’ve had to pay out for the roof to be repaired and now we’re just waiting for somebody to come out and have a look at the skylights. There’s still a hole in the ceiling in the cafe and there’s damage to the ceiling due to the rain and dust and dirt getting in. At this time of year we normally do soup and a roll for PS1 but we haven’t been able to do that.”
Helen continued: “The bill has come to over PS3,000 already and we had to close totally for two days too and that has had an impact on us financially. We’ve got to try to find the funding to pay for this now. We are going to set up a JustGiving fundraiser and share it on our Facebook page.”
Helen said a few of the service users were “upset” by what had happened, adding: “We have people, including a living well with dementia group, who come here and they couldn’t believe it. Normally at this time of year we get quite a few people wanting to hire the centre too but we don’t want them walking in and seeing the hole in the ceiling by the servery on the cafe.”
Roof services are vital for maintaining the value and integrity of your home. Residential roof replacement services are subject to wear and tear over time due to the weather. If you want to learn more or keep an eye on the latest news, you can enter here and see the multiple options The Roof Technician roof replacement services in Toronto. Professional roofing services provide comprehensive solutions that include inspections, roof repairs, reroofing and quality materials. This service ensures that you property is protected against structural and leak damage. Expert roofing services will not only improve the durability of your property but will also maintain its functionality.
