A TEIGNMOUTH police inspector has said that the sentence given to an angry motorist who poured a bucket of water over a traffic warden was too lenient. Dicey O Reilley's barman Michael Papanicolaou said he has no regrets after throwing a bucket of water over traffic warden Deborah Say, who booked him twice in 24 hours. He was sentenced to 100 hours community service and ordered to pay £50 costs and £50 compensation. He pleaded guilty at South Devon magistrates court at Newton Abbot on Tuesday to charges of assault. The incident happened on July 4 as the warden was putting a ticket on his red Toyota MR2. Mr Papanicolaou walked off and returned with a bucket of water that he poured over the official. Mr Papanicolaou had been given a ticket the day before and the ticket was still on the windscreen when the warden booked him again. He was arrested at the scene. After the hearing, Mr Papanicolaou said that he had 'no regrets'. 'I'm not proud of what I did but I am not ashamed either. It has caused me a lot of bother and for that reason I would not do it again.' 'I think that the punishment is a bit steep, but it could have been far worse. They are trying to make an example of me.' But Insp Jon Perry said that such behaviour towards any public service worker should not be tolerated. 'In this case the magistrates applied their guidance and sentenced accordingly. 'But it is my personal view that anyone who assaults a uniformed public service worker, whether it be a traffic warden, police officer, paramedic or nurse, should be given an automatic prison sentence. 'Public service workers need protection in the performance of their duty and there is no deterrent in a slap on the wrist,' he said.
