Teens caused £8k damage on Mirfield estate

The youths threw bricks and stones at the Orion Homes site in Spring Park Place in June, Huddersfield Youth Court heard.

A 14-year-old boy from Ravensthorpe appeared before magistrates yesterday (Monday) charged with causing criminal damage to property.

The court heard that on June 9 a security guard on the site spotted a group of five youths throwing stones at the windows of new build properties – as well as attacking a digger.

They smashed 17 windows and damaged the windows of the digger before running off.

The next day the security guard spotted some of the same group again throwing bricks at windows.

The security guard called the police and the Ravensthorpe boy was still on site when officers arrived.

He tried to run away but police chased and caught him.

An Orion Homes accountant estimated that £7,876 of damage was caused over the two days.

Paul Blanchard, mitigating, said the boy was not the ringleader of the group.

“He was more caught up with what was happening with the other boys,” he added.

Mr Blanchard said other members of the group had got away with their crimes, including one who had simply refused to answer questions.

“My client had the confidence in himself and the good upbringing to admit that he had done wrong,” Mr Blanchard said.

The fact that he had owned up to his crime while others had kept quiet and got away with it was “not showing him a good life lesson,” he added.

The boy, who had admitted what he had done earlier this month, was given a three month referral order and ordered to pay £150 compensation, £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Magistrate Ebrahim Chopdat said the boy had caused “considerable damage” to the buildings.

“I hope your father is going to make you pay for this one way or another,” he said.