A Welsh golf club has issued an extraordinary ultimatum, including inviting them to repair the damage or risk being prosecuted, to joyriders who have caused thousands of pounds-worth of damage to its course.
Four people stole buggies at Rhuddlan Golf Club and then drove them over the course before ditching them in bunkers, causing about £3,000 of damage.
However, there were CCTV cameras in operation at the time and the club believes it has the full face images of the two men and two women who were responsible. Two of them, it says, looked directly into a camera before covering their faces.
The club has therefore issued an ultimatum to the criminals, which even includes the option of paid employment.
Rhuddlan says it will post the images publicly, which it believes is likely to lead to the identification of the criminals, by August 24 if it does not hear from them. Those names will then be sent to the police.
If the club does hear from them before then, they have been given two options to prevent the possibility of police involvement.
The first option, which the club says is its preferred one, is for the quartet to work at the club at a minimum wage rate to repair the damage. The second option is that they pay the costs of the damage and the time spent by staff dealing with it.
“Option one is to do manual work at the club, at minimum wage rate until the £3,000 repairs and 26 staff hours are made good, at 80 to 100 hours for each individual. The second option is to repay the £3,000 damage plus 26 staff hours,” said a spokesman.
Club officials estimate the repair bill at around £3,000 made up of £2,000 damage to the buggies, £500 to repair the bunkers, greens and hedgerows on the course and another £500 for new security.
That’s not including the time spent by staff sorting out insurance and contacting the police.
A statement on the golf club’s Facebook page said: “Option 1 is our preferred choice as we hope these individuals will then appreciate the value of the hard work that goes into any business. Who knows, it might actually help them change their ways and their futures!
“If they do not hand themselves in to the golf club by the time stated, the full face 4k HD images of the four individuals will be posted on this page and the local community will soon identify them. We have received advice and we are within our rights to do this. Any names then given to us as a result will be forwarded onto the police.”
And in a message directly to the four individuals, a club spokesperson added: “You know we have the CCTV images. Two of you (females) looked directly into the camera, you then panicked, one of you put your hands on your head and then went to tell the other two males who were on or around our 18th green where you dumped the buggies.
“You all proceeded to run past five other CCTV cameras on your way to the car park exit after jumping over the clubhouse railings. Two of you (males) thought you were clever hiding your face from the cameras with hoods up but what you don’t realise is you had already been captured on the buggy compound CCTV and your jackets with reflective parts on them are very distinctive and easily identified.
“We hope you now do the right thing.”
The vandals can email the club at secretary@rhuddlangolfclub.co.uk.
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