Pensioner commits the ultimate petty act after his landlord increased his rent
A pensioner angry at his landlord for raising the rent took revenge by trashing the Wollongong house, gluing down everything in sight and leaving hidden seafood to rot.
Disgruntled tenant Colin Spargo's vindictive acts included leaving a clown doll hanging from a noose as a chilling message to his landlord - and former friend - David Longford.
Mr Spargo had been a 'family friend' when he moved into the rental 12 years ago, Mr Longford told A Current Affair.
The pair agreed to a 'handshake deal' so Mr Spargo never paid a bond, but Mr Longford admitted he was warned his former tenant was capable of doing something like this.
'I got told by people who knew him he'd probably do something in revenge on his way out the door and I didn't think it'd be this bad,' he said.
'He was a family friend, he started here on $350 a week rent back in 2012 and that stayed like that (until) probably about 2017 when I put the rent up to $400 a week.'
When Mr Longford recently upped that to $550 and formalised payment arrangements through a real estate agency, Mr Spargo issued a dire threat before vacating the rental home.
'He calls me up and says "we need to go back to how we were with me paying cash" and I said "no we have to keep it through the real estate",' Mr Longford said.
Disgruntled tenant Colin Spargo unleashed a vindictive trail of destruction which included hanging a clown doll at a Wollongong property
Colin Spargo (pictured) was a 'family friend' who moved into the rental 12 years ago
'He says "well in that case we've got a problem and its your problem not mine".'
Mr Spargo vanished and when Mr Longford attended his property he discovered the pensioner had used industrial-strength glue to fasten everything at the house shut.
Mr Longford could not access his property because Mr Spargo had glued every door, window and shutter around the house.
When Mr Longford eventually forced his way inside he discovered Mr Spargo had also glued down chairs, tables, all the drawers, bedroom doors, kitchen cabinets, built-in wardrobes and interior windows.
Mr Longford said he was forced to hip-and-shoulder a bedroom door because it wouldn't budge due to the strength of the glue.
Mr Spargo also left the house in a filthy condition, poured paint onto beds, slashed and ruined couches and even glued down the lawnmower and petrol cap, leaving it unusable.
A putrid smell in the house made things even worse.
The stench was eventually traced to a bag of rotting prawns in a kitchen drawer, which was also glued down.
Spargo left a rotting bag of prawns in a drawer which was glued shut
Mr Spargo had also concealed a second bag of rotting prawns in a wall cavity.
'He's glued all of the shutters, we've got seven shutters around the house all of them are glued, can't be moved,' Mr Longford said.
'This bedroom was probably his best effort, we've got glue here, he's thrown a bucket of paint over the bed that was left here and the cupboards so that they can't be recycled either.
'He's left this couch and slashed it so that it can't be donated to anyone. In hindsight I sort of wish that I hadn't looked after him for so long and got him out earlier.'
Mr Longford had not calculated how much the clean-up would cost be but knew he was 'in for a big bill'.
Mr Spargo could not be reached for comment.
