Oliver Emmett, 27, upended a two-litre bottle of whisky and lemonade down an escalator at a Waitrose store in Windsor, Berkshire
A musician who poured whisky and lemonade down a Waitrose escalator has been ordered to busk for as much money as he can to compensate the store for thousands of pounds worth of cleaning.
Oliver Emmett, 27, upended a two-litre bottle of the alcoholic cocktail after having a row with a security guard in the Windsor branch of the supermarket in June 2016.
Staff feared it was paraffin and dismantled the escalator to give it a thorough clean at the cost of £16,000.
Now Emmett has been given three months to earn as much money as he can by busking to compensate the popular food store and show how sorry he is.
At a sentencing hearing at Reading Crown Court, Judge Maria Lamb heard he could sometimes earn hundreds of pounds in a few hours by singing and playing guitar.
This prompted her to give Emmett the chance to put his musical skills to good use and raise funds to pay back the chain.
Emmett, who has two A-levels and a third class degree, lives with his mother in the affluent town of Egham in Surrey.
CCTV played to the court showed him and a friend going into the store in Berkshire carrying large rucksacks.
Emmett can then be seen sprinkling his whisky and lemonade drink over the escalator on his way out after arguing with a security guard.
He was interviewed by police in December 2016 and admitted a single charge of criminal damage.
The escalator at the Waitrose store, which was dismantled and cleaned at the cost of £16,000 because staff were worried the liquid Emmett sprayed on it was paraffin
Judge Lamb told him: ‘It’s all very well to say you are sorry but I want to see some real concrete evidence that you have tried to save some money.
‘If you keep up your end of the deal, I’ll keep up mine, by reviewing the sentence when you come back to court.’
Lisa Goddard, prosecuting, said: ‘The defendant recognised he was responsible and he apologised in interview.’
Guy Ladenburg, defending Emmett, said: ‘In one day he could make hundreds of pounds, or he could make the same amount in a month.
‘Last week he couldn’t work as he had a sore throat.’
He added: ‘The defendant bitterly regrets this incident.’
Emmett has until October 5 to make as much money as he can to compensate Waitrose.