Huw Dafydd Jones, who had been drinking, admitted his 'disgusting offence' and has been asked to clean the memorial
A teenager has admitted drunkenly urinating at a war memorial just weeks before Remembrance Day.
Police officers spotted Huw Dafydd Jones on the steps of the memorial to the fallen at Porthmadog in North Wales at about 5.50pm on October 18.
But when they went to speak with the 18-year-old, who had been drinking, he put his hoody up and fled.
After being arrested he apologised to officers for what he had done, but refused to explain why he had urinated at the site which lies in a small park.
He admitted a charge of outraging public decency when he appeared before magistrates at Caernarfon yesterday, the Daily Post reports.
Sentencing court chairman Peter Lunt Williams said: “This was a disgusting offence in the community and the punishment must reflect that.
“This is a sensitive time, not only is it Remembrance Sunday next weekend but it is 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War when boys your age were being killed and injured in their thousands.
“Last week we saw soldiers returning from Afghanistan and during that war many soldiers were killed and injured.
“You should be ashamed of yourself and I am sure the community of Porthmadog are not happy at all.”
Jones was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and observe a curfew at weekends for the next eight weeks.
Mr Williams added: “Although we can’t order it we’d like to see you clean the war memorial in Porthmadog.”
Defence solicitor Carys Parry said he was with a group of youths and had been playing rugby that afternoon.
She stressed he had not urinated on the memorial itself but on steps nearby.
“He had been drinking alcohol and did not think what he was doing. He did not mean to be disrespectful and apologises for what he has done,” she said.
The court heard from a probation officer who said Jones would go out drinking with friends each weekend and suggested he might benefit from completing an alcohol awareness course as part of any sentence.
An application for a new style Community Behaviour Order, which could include a direction to clean the war memorial on a regular basis, was adjourned.
