PREVIEW

This is the shocking moment a disgruntled builder was caught on camera destroying the roof of a historic property over a pay dispute.
James Fuller, 44, had been hired to restore the Tudor cottage in Chilham, Kent but fell out with the owners after he kept raising the price of the renovation - from an initial £800,000 to a staggering £1.4 million.
Christian Magg and his husband Greg Taylor cut ties with Fuller over the spiralling costs and his alleged sub-standard work at the Grade II-listed property, a court heard.
But when Fuller realised he would not be paid, he launched a harassment campaign in which he caused more than £160,000 in damage.
Footage shared on social media shows Fuller, wearing a hoodie, on the roof of the house and “relentlessly” hurling tiles to the floor. A police car with flashing blue lights can be seen parked down the street as frustrated onlookers shout: “You need to get him down. He's not gonna just come down by being asked.”
Meanwhile, Fuller, of Clover Court, Ashford, could be heard shouting about needing more money.
He was later charged with three offences - and pleaded guilty to harassment without violence and two counts of criminal damage when he appeared in court in July. The case was adjourned for a pre-sentencing report.
Fuller returned to court in August, when the Crown Prosecution Service said the estimated damage of between £20,000 and £30,000 was too low and the case was adjourned again.
At his sentencing hearing at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on September 23, magistrates heard the estimated damage had skyrocketed to £164,000.
Josh Murphy, prosecuting, said the restoration of the cottage - which dates back to 1549 and is near Chilham Castle - had initially “proceeded well”. However, there were “concerns over the quality of the work and him not attending as regularly as he could”.
“The cost also kept increasing; it was initially £800k then it went up to £1.4 million, and as a result of that the victim disengaged with Mr Fuller,” the prosecutor said.
However, the court heard that since parting ways with Fuller there had been ongoing issues and Mr Magg had had to call the police.
The prosecutor added: “There were death threats, sex allegations and he was arrested for stealing their dog.”
However, the court heard Fuller was not charged with a separate offence of stealing the animal.
Mr Murphy said the builder targeted the home in the early hours of June 27 when Mr Magg was asleep.
He said: “It was 1.20am and he was woken by the sound of smashing glass and glass on the sofa where he was under the window, and it was Mr Fuller.”
Two days later, Mr Magg was driving down the road and saw Fuller approaching and looking “angry”.
“So [Mr Magg] retreated to a neighbour’s property with the dog,” the prosecutor said. “Mr Fuller then climbed on the roof of the building and started removing the tiles off the roof. He was sitting on the roof smashing the tiles everywhere.
“It was relentless, and he destroyed as many as he could. He stripped the roof back to the battens and was shouting comments about requiring more money.
“He destroyed most of the tiles on the roof and the roof pegs.”
Police and a fire crew were called to the scene and the route was cordoned off.
The prosecutor said the ordeal has had a “negative impact” on Mr Magg’s mental health.
“He has depression; he said Fuller would not leave them alone,” Mr Murphy added. “He feels he will do whatever to hurt them and it was their dream home, and then this happened; it’s had an impact on both of them.”
Mr Murphy said as the estimated damage cost was now so high, it could no longer be dealt with in the magistrates’ court. The starting point on sentencing guidelines is a year and six months’ custody, so the lower courts’ sentencing powers are insufficient.
Summer Carty, defending, said her client had pleaded guilty at an early stage when it was estimated the damage would cost about £30,000 to repair.
She added: “The case was adjourned as the statement had not been served upon us and now it’s £160k. Why is it such a large value?
“The quote was sent to me today. I don’t know where that quote came from. The pre-sentencing report is not suitable in light of the new facts.
“We will have that argument at the crown court, as he’s pleaded guilty to £30k, not £164k.
“He’s now looking at prison, not a community order, and we will contest the amount of the damage there [at crown court].
“It will still be a guilty plea, but not on that basis.”
Magistrates agreed to send the case to Canterbury Crown Court for sentence, and Fuller will appear there on a date to be fixed.
He was granted bail until then, but must not enter Chilham or contact the owners.
In an interview with The Times in May, the couple told how they had bought the two-bed property after falling in love with its “Hansel and Gretel” charm. They had since spent more than £1.8 million on restoring it.
They added: “For what we spent we could have had a manor house. But we were so in love with this village, we didn’t want to live in a house with a long drive behind gates.”