Tricky moral issue.

[br d]

Yesterday I took all the guys that work for me out for a team building day. We went karting (which was fantastic incidentally), then had a meal, then went back to my house to get drunk, play the Wii, and generally let our hair down. I do this about twice a year as a thank you for their hard work.

I'm upstairs, chatting to a mate and listening to music when I hear a popping sound. It's bothering me so I come downstairs to look. Most of my workers are smokers who I've told to smoke outside on the drive, so when I come down all my guys are there plus some uninvited dhead I don't know who's firing a fecking paintball gun at my wall. He must be a mate of one of my guys so I tell him to feck off, I notice he has fired against my wall but I take no notice and go back inside, I don't want to make a fuss.

So I get up this morning, check out my wall for paint and see that this idiot has fired the thing over my fence against a factory over the road. There is orange paint all over this firms signs and windows. I feel gutted. I hate this sort of thing.

So I go over, explain that this came from my property, offer to pay the cleaning bill and apologize.
But the manager wants to get the police involved.
I understand his ire, but I don't really want to push my blokes for this idiots name, I'd rather just pay his damages and move on.

What would you do?

I could track this idiot down but it would cause friction with my workforce. I've offered to put things right but is that enough?

[br d]

DrTre said:

Has it actually caused damage? I thought it was water soluble/UV "deactivated"?
Police is OTT. I doubt it's even criminal damage?

You're right DrTre. it hasn't actually caused any damage, it can all be washed off, which I've offered to pay for, but the problem is I would be furious it it was my property. I do understand the fellas annoyance.

It's so frustrating, I'm fuming about the fact that it came from my property but it really wasn't in my control. But I'm still responsible, i'd never back out.

To be honest, I could have said nothing and they wouldn't know where it came from but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing I had cost them money.

[br d]

It's a fair point David, thanks for the info.
But it's never been a recipe for disaster before, I can't judge my guys on what might happen, rather than what has happened, that way lies paranoia and mistrust.

If the guy really wants to push for criminal damage I will just have to accept it, but getting a police record for that will hurt.

[br d]

DrTre said:

You've been precisely the neighbour everyone wants, the factory owner sounds like being the sort of bloke nobody wants.

Let him contact the police then tell them what you know...which isn't much in reality....you're not even certain he was a mate of your colleagues?

Thanks for you support DrTre, but you can't blame the guy, this is exactly the sort of nonsense that most of us PH'rs get stressed about. I hate this immature sh!t.

I will go back and see him on Monday morning and hope we can be reasonable, but who could blame him otherwise?

[br d]

Murray993 said:

grow a pair, the guy had no respect for you.

Now *thats* what I was waiting for :-)