A CRICKLADE man threw a brick at the window of a children’s centre after rowing with his girlfriend.

Magistrates were told Daniel Embling had lobbed the brick at Cricklade Children’s Centre on December 4 last year, before climbing inside the smashed window.

Prosecuting, Michelle Hewitt said 27-year-old Embling had told police he had “had an argument with his girlfriend and was angry and drunk”. However, she stressed there was no evidence the defendant had climbed into the children’s centre with the intention of committing a crime.

Embling, of Commonhill, Cricklade, admitted criminal damage. He also pleaded guilty to stealing alcohol worth £14.70 from Cricklade Tesco and an Amazon Show screen device from Curry’s Greenbridge.

The court heard Embling had turned to cocaine and alcohol after his relationship with his partner of seven years had broken down. He had taken the Amazon electronics to sell on Facebook in order to buy drugs.

Defending, Sam Arif said her client had since moved in with a new partner who was having a stabilising affect on him. Addressing the charges, she added: “He says, ‘This is not me. This is not how I should be behaving.’”

Magistrates adjourned the case to May 13, for a pre-sentence report to be written.