A couple have told of their devastation after their £1.2m Grade II-listed Isle of Wight holiday home was ransacked by vandals as young as 11, who caused over £200,000 worth of damage.
The six-bedroom Shanklin house, called The Grange, was targeted by ‘mindless’ youths who damaged or smashed ‘every item of furniture’.
Chainsaws, axes and sledgehammers were used as the youngers ran riot, leaving it looking like a ‘war zone’, the Isle of Wight Magistrates’ Court heard.
Between May and June last year, the youngsters left the property looking like a ‘whirlwind’ and ‘practically uninhabitable’.
An ornate stained-glass window was ‘fully smashed’, along with 22 other windows, a double-glazed conservatory door and numerous other handmade hardwood doors – some of which were over 100 years old.
A grandfather clock was pushed over and ‘completely smashed’ as well as a 5ft wide wrought-iron chandelier.
The court heard the gang left glass scattered, graffiti scrawled on walls and ketchup, bleach and paint squirted everywhere.
Paintings hung on the wall had also been smashed and left on the floor, while messages were carved into mahogany windowsills, and the bannister had been destroyed.
Bathroom taps were pulled off, with water gushing everywhere, and the youths also tried to set a tractor-mower on fire.
Owners Joanna Pittard, her husband Matt and their two daughters had dreamed of making the house their family home.
Mrs Pittard was horrified to find her wedding dress 'destroyed' after being covered in oil, nail varnish and footprints.
In her statement, Mrs Pittard said the damage was 'heartbreaking' and recounted the 'horrendous' experience of filling skips with their belongings.
"They maliciously chopped down our palm tree and tried to chop down our cherry tree - it looks like a war zone," she said.
In mitigation, the court heard the teenagers had expressed 'regret and remorse' and had all had 'improvements' in their behaviour and attitude.
Addressing six of the teens, after one case was adjourned until November 8, magistrates’ chairman Keith Jones said: "Your behaviour has been appalling and an absolute disgrace to all of you.”
The perpetrators, who all admitted criminal damage and are now aged between 13 and 16, were handed a 12-month referral order and ordered to pay £1,500 compensation.
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