A GLASTONBURY man who claimed a CCTV camera from a charity shop was spying into his property took the law into his own hands and ripped it down.

Andy Keetch used a ladder to climb into the roof of the Cancer Research UK store in Glastonbury.

The camera caught him reaching up to it and pulling it off, before the video footage blacked out.

When he appeared in court before Somerset Magistrates, they were told the defendant had asked staff at the shop to move the camera and had complained about a security light shining straight into his window.

Keetch, 52, of Silver Street, pleaded guilty to stealing a CCTV camera belonging to Cancer Research UK at Glastonbury on November 23.

Prosecutor Ben Winzar said that a worker at the charity shop noticed their CCTV camera was not working so she viewed the previous footage.

“It showed a man putting a ladder up to the roof and he then removed the CCTV camera at the time the video blacked out,” he said.

“She identified the defendant as he lived behind the shop and when police spoke to him he was offered a caution by the police on condition he paid the compensation of £588 for the damaged camera.”

Mr Winzar said that Keetch refused to pay the money and as a result was brought before the court.

Defending solicitor Louise Eaves said that Keetch lived near the charity shop and was a frequent donor to Cancer Research.

“He asked them numerous times to get the camera removed because it was pointing into his Air BnB property,” she said.

“He became frustrated when nothing was done so went and took it down and there was also an issue with a light erected which was shining into his property. Nothing was done about it for weeks so he simply took it into his own hands on this occasion.”

The magistrates ordered Keetch to pay the £588 compensation but did not impose any costs or victim surcharge.