Attleborough councillor accused of smashing a shop window told police he was “too drunk” to remember the late-night incident, court hears

A councillor accused of smashing a shop window told police he was “too drunk” to remember the late-night incident.

Stephen Fraser, who represents Attleborough on the town council and Breckland Council, has been charged with criminal damage following the episode.

He was due to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court this week to enter a plea.

However, the case was adjourned after his representatives claimed there had been an “abuse of process” by the officers handling his case.

The court heard Mr Fraser had been drinking heavily on the evening in question and had been shown incomplete evidence from the scene when interviewed the following week.

He remains on bail and will be given another interview opportunity before appearing at court again on July 22.

Richard Allington reported the incident to police after turning up to work at his Attleborough kitchen store on April 14 and finding his window shattered.

Mr Fraser, 52, was arrested on April 25 and interviewed under caution.

The court heard Mr Fraser was “too drunk to remember what had happened” that night and he had been shown CCTV footage from the scene, which shows three adults walking along Connaught Road, where Mr Allington’s shop is located, with a man trailing behind.

However, the video shown to Mr Fraser during his interview did not have any audio.

In the original footage, which Mr Fraser was not given, a loud crash can be heard and the group stops and turns to look.

One can be heard asking “what did he just do?” before they agree to “carry on walking”.

A man then appears on video several paces behind them and is seen picking up something from a driveway and then walking back out of shot again, before another crash is heard.

Two members of the group, which included Mr Fraser’s fellow councillor Taila Taylor, continue down the street, while the third runs back to the man and, just before the second crash, shouts: “That’s not them.”

Miss Taylor, who was mayor of the town at the time but now sits as deputy, denies having witnessed the incident.

Mr Fraser has ignored calls to step down from both councils but has resigned his membership of the Conservative Party, and now sits as an independent.