Joseph Dowling Jailed for Causing £8,000 Damage in Pub Roof Standoff

Asha Patel
BBC News, Nottingham

Joseph Dowling, 38, of Rainworth, Nottinghamshire, has been jailed for 15 months after a five-hour stand-off with police, during which he caused more than £8,000 in damage to a pub. The incident took place on the night of 19 April when Dowling, who had been drinking throughout the day, got into an argument with his former partner at The Lurcher pub in Rainworth. After being asked to leave at around 11:30 p.m., Dowling climbed onto the pub’s roof, where he remained until early the next morning.

During his time on the roof, Dowling threw tiles off the building and smashed windows, causing extensive damage. Police were called to the scene, and trained negotiators spent several hours attempting to calm him down. The pub was evacuated, but fortunately, no one was injured during the standoff.

Dowling, who had a history of alcohol abuse, had previously been fitted with an alcohol abstinence tag, but following the tragic death of his child, he had resumed drinking. In court, Dowling pleaded guilty to criminal damage and affray. The court also heard that Dowling was deeply remorseful for his actions.

Detective Sergeant Emily Hewitt commended the officers involved in handling the situation. She said, “This was a challenging situation for us to deal with, and our priority throughout was keeping people in the area safe, including Dowling, who was on the roof. Thankfully, the incident was brought to a safe conclusion after skilled negotiations led to him coming down from the roof.”

Dowling was also given a five-year restraining order in addition to his sentence.

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