A READING man has been spared jail after carrying an axe near a school and damaging a car bonnet.

Martin Porter, of Don Close, Tilehurst, committed the offences on August 7, 2020.

He damaged the car bonnet of a vehicle belonging to a woman causing £60 worth of damage.

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And he was spotted carrying an axe in a public place -- namely Foxglove Gardens, which is just a 352 yard walk from Oxford Road primary school.

But the 29-year-old was told he will not go to prison after being handed a six-month sentence suspended for 12 months.

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He was also given a restraining order barring him from contacting the owner of the vehicle he damaged for one year.

Despite being spared jail, the Reading man was handed a hefty court bill.

Porter was told he will have to pay £100 compensation for the damage to the car and £897 in court fees.

The 29-year-old appeared at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, August 26.

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