'Piddler on the Roof' fined

2008-08-20 21:51

Wellington - A teenager dubbed "The Piddler on the Roof" by New Zealand police admitted on Wednesday to urinating into a parking machine and was ordered to pay NZ$200 (US$142) to the city council.

Sarron Malot, an 18-year-old cook, has become the butt of jokes around the country as photos and videos of him aiming into the machine's coin slot have circulated on websites.

Police dubbed him "The Piddler on the Roof" because of the second-floor location of the city council parking meter.

A police statement said: "He pees up in the air in a big arc, so it goes in the coin slot and out the hole where people collect their tickets".

A sheepish Malot was flanked by his parents when he arrived at the Napier District Court on Wednesday to plead guilty to causing intentional damage.

He told reporters outside the court he had been out drinking with friends.

"I couldn't stand properly, I wasn't aware of what I was doing," said Malot, who claimed he had only offended once despite a council report the machine had been doused in urine at least five times.

"I don't want to be known forever as 'The Piddler on the Roof'," he said. "I'd like to say I'm sorry. But who hasn't pissed in public?"

- AFP