Curtis Vickery-Baxter sentenced for spray painting string of cars in South Tamworth while intoxicated

Curtis Vickery-Baxter fronted Tamworth Local Court for sentencing on two dozen charges of destroying or damaging property after police caught him red-handed in the early hours of March 23.

The 18-year-old was hit with a 14-month good behaviour order which included a ban on drinking in pubs and clubs and being intoxicated in public.

He must also do 70 hours of community service.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Rob Baillie confirmed the victims were not asking for compensation after they managed to get the spray paint off themselves.

He said the offending came close to warranting a jail sentence.

"The community would have an expectation that the court would impose a penalty that would deter ... such stupid acts," Sergeant Baillie said.

Legal Aid defence solicitor Alex White said Vickery-Baxter and his co-accused, who remains before the court, were "young boys being idiots" and "highly intoxicated" at the time.

"It was very amateur-type offending," she told the court.

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Magistrate Julie Soars told the court Vickery-Baxter had damaged vehicles belonging to random members of the pubic in South Tamworth close to where he lived after a one-off night of reckless drinking.

"The inconvenience to those persons and the frustration to them is they awoke the next morning to find their cars ... affected by spray paint," she said.

"Sir, you can't run the risk of further offending, of this nature in particular."

She acknowledged he was a young man with no criminal record, and that he had pleaded guilty early.

A set of police facts show Vickery-Baxter and the co-accused went to a friend's place in South Tamworth on the evening of March 22 before the pair, and another two men, left about 1am.

As they drove along Warwick Road, the vehicle they were travelling in broke down.

"As such they have started walking home, spray painting ... vehicles along the way with red spray paint," the police facts said.

Windscreens, headlights, mirrors, doors, bonnets, tailgates and panels were sprayed on vehicles including a Land Cruiser, Toyota Hilux, Hyundai van, Holden Commodore ute, Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi truck and a campervan.

The trail continued through South Tamworth streets, including the one Vickery-Baxter lived on.

Police were called just before 2am and came across a vehicle where the spray paint was still wet.

"Police have conducted a patrol of the area and have followed the trail of damaged vehicles," the facts said.

Vickery-Baxter and the co-accused were located a short time later.

Police observed the pair had spray paint on their hands and clothing.

Vickery-Baxter told officers the red on his hands was blood, not paint.

The pair were arrested.

The police facts said they had had "no regard for the victims of the vehicles they were damaging".

Ms Soars convicted Vickery-Baxter on one charge of destroying or damaging property, with the other 23 counts taken into account at sentencing.

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