by Keith Hunt

A 'Tarzan' vandal caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage when he went on a smashing spree of bank windows, a court heard.

Brandishing two hammers, Stewart Broadway went to Chatham High Street in the early hours and shattered windows at the Halifax, Lloyds TSB and NatWest banks, as well as those of a cafe.

Afterwards, he beat his chest and let out a roaring sound.

Despite the 38-year-old leaving behind blood which was matched to his DNA, he denied being responsible.

Broadway, of Fort Pitt Street, Chatham, pleaded not guilty to four charges of criminal damage.

"once you have had a drink, you can’t really remember after that, can you?…” – broadway

He was convicted by a jury and was remanded in custody until sentence on September 19.

Keith Yardy, prosecuting, said the landlord of the Prince of Wales pub in Railway Street heard loud bangs early on January 6 this year.

He looked out of a third floor window and saw a man outside the Halifax carrying two hammers and striking the windows, making them crack.

He moved on to nearby Lloyds TSB and more loud bangs were heard.

The landlord then saw the man jumping up at windows of NatWest and smashing them.

When police cars arrived with sirens sounding, the vandal put the hammers in his pockets and ran off.

As he passed the pub, he looked up at the window, hit his chest several times and “roared”, before running towards the train station.

Mr Yardy said other witnesses saw Broadway also striking the ATM cash machines at NatWest with the hammers.

Mrs Bahar Mustafa, of the Halifax, said in a statement that the damage to the toughened glass was up to £30,000.

Christopher Winfield, a team leader at Lloyds, said the damage was estimated at up to £3,000.

“In all my eight years working here, I have known nothing like it,” he added.

Dorothy Hoare, customs services officer, at NatWest said over £20,000 of damage was caused to nine windows.

Broadway also smashed windows at Blueberry Park cafe. Manager Bridgette Pilcher said the damage totalled £1,400.

A forensic scientist found that the chances of blood found coming from someone not related to Broadway were one in a billion.

Broadway said in evidence he had been drinking heavily on the night the wrecking spree.

“Once you have had a drink, you can’t really remember after that, can you?” he claimed. “I still can’t remember what happened.”

Broadway said he also had no recollection of how he injured his knuckles.

“I don’t accept it is possible I could have committed these four offences,” he told the jury.

“At the time you found DNA, that was fair enough. But you also found other DNA, contaminating my DNA.”

He continued: “I am very familiar with the location. It is my town. It would be unusual for me to be out at 1am. I don’t usually roam around the streets at that time.

“If I had ten pints, I would probably be in bed about 10pm. I can’t say that did happen.”

Broadway denied he had a grudge against the banks or the cafe.

“I was surprised when the police turned up at my address to arrest me,” he said.

Asked by the prosecutor if it was true he was involved in the offences, he replied: “No, that isn’t entirely correct, is it? You cannot say I have done that.

“I haven’t got a hammer. Was there one found?”