A woman charged with spraying graffiti on buildings in Peterborough city centre in September has narrowly escaped a prison sentence. Twenty-four-year-old Samantha Moss sprayed offensive words and pictures on Peterborough’s Town Hall and on several banks and building societies, causing over £12,000 worth of damage. Miss Moss had previously been summoned to appear in court over a vandalism spree in December 2009.
Peterborough Crown Court handed Miss Moss a suspended two-month jail sentence for breaching her anti-social behaviour order and received another suspended two-month sentence for admitting her guilt to causing criminal damage. Miss Moss was also ordered to seek treatment for her mental health issues. Mary Bluff, Miss Moss’s support worker, told the court that Miss Moss would be provided with a telephone number for the city’s crisis team upon leaving court.
At Miss Moss’ previous hearing, her defence had informed the court that she had experienced a difficult upbringing and had had a prior history of self-harming. However, her solicitor told the court that she had been receiving support from the city’s mental health teams. The court heard of how Miss Moss was both “vulnerable and likeable” but had been diagnosed with a “borderline personality disorder”. Judge Madge claimed that CCTV evidence and the initials that she had used during her spraying of graffiti had rendered it inevitable that she would be traced.
Duncan Lewis’ mental health solicitors assist clients suffering from mental health issues. The department prides itself on the high level of care they provide to their clients.