Tank destroys mobile masts down under

Link: BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Tank rampage crushes phone masts

It’s not uncommon to find residents taking matters into their own hands to stop new mobile phone masts popping up in their neighbourhood – but in Sydney one man decided to take things a little too far.

A man has been arrested in Sydney after phone masts were destroyed during a 90-minute rampage in a privately owned armoured personnel carrier. The incident began when police noticed the APC destroying a substation in Minchinbury at about 0200 local time on Saturday (1200 GMT).

Officers called for back up and pursued the vehicle at speeds averaging 30km/h (19 mph) as it crashed through masts, fences and telecom relay sheds.  They moved in as it stalled trying to bring down another mobile phone tower in the suburb of Dean Park.

The man in question – one John Robert Patterson, said “that certainly he had authority to behave in such a manner”, according to his defence lawyer. Telstra meanwhile said there would be “coverage problems” until the police give them access to the sites.