A PENRYN man smashed the screen on a cashpoint machine after being left uspet by the death of his pet fish.

Daniel White, 45, of Permarin Road took out his feelings on the machine on the wall of his local shop, causing nearly £600 worth of damage.

The damage was so severe that it took an engineer seven hours to put right.

White, 45, pleaded guilty at Truro Magistrates’ Court to causing criminal damage and possessing a lock knife in a public place.

Alison May, prosecuting, said the machine was outside Costcutters in Penryn, where defendant was a regular customer.

The court heard that after White went into the shop complaining that someone had poisoned his fish, a store supervisor then heard a thud outside and a smashing noise.

A witness saw White jabbing at the ATM machine with his walking stick before walking off, swearing as he went.

He was arrested not far from there and when searched a lock knife was found in his possession. He appeared to be drunk.

He said he had no recollection of causing any damage to the machine and that he was drunk. He was angry that someone had poisoned his fish and had gone into the store to see if he could find that person. He said he used the knife on his boat.

Charles Hulley, his solicitor, said a visitor to his home had put something in his fish tank which killed his fish and this had upset him.

He had gone into the shop to see if he might find them. “He was upset because his fish had been killed and took out his frustration on the cash machine” he added.

White, a former tree surgeon who had to give up work after an injury to his back, suffered from bipolar disease and depression.

He had not used the knife to threaten anyone, it was just kept on his key ring for work on his boat which was his hobby.

White was fined £50 and £30 costs and surcharge and told to pay compensation of £300.