Video game rage costs man $700

Sore losers beware — your outbursts could land you in court, as a 28-year-old White Peak man found out when he was fined for smashing up a door after a particularly stressful video gaming session.

At 8.30pm on September 22 in Rangeway, Serguei Fedorovskikh was playing video games in the bedroom of his partner’s house with his three-year-old child in the room.

Fedorovskikh became frustrated with the game and began shouting angrily and cursing.

His partner came to try to calm him down, and Fedorovskikh lashed out, elbowing and punching the door, damaging it beyond repair.

In Geraldton Magistrate’s Court last week he pleaded guilty to one count of criminal damage.

Duty lawyer Kate Turtley-Chappel said Fedorovskikh suffered from schizophrenia, and it was a side effect of the medication he was taking that caused his sudden rage.

She said it was not at all like his usual behaviour, he had no prior criminal history, and she asked for a spent conviction.

Magistrate Donna Webb said what was in front of her did not give her the discretion to grant a spent conviction, but the matter could be adjourned to retrieve evidence from Fedorovskikh’s doctor which would show the outburst was linked to his medi-cation.

However, Fedorovskikh insisted that the matter be dealt with that day if possible, and withdrew the request for a spent conviction.

The magistrate fined him $700, but did not order that he pay the cost of the door repair as he said he had already repaid it.