A schoolgirl’s party advertised openly on Facebook resulted in a £30,000, uninsured repair bill for her 56 year-old mother.
Some 800 revellers ripped holes in the ceiling, smashed a piano in the front garden, ripped doors from hinges and wrote their names on the walls of the end-terrace house in Billericay, Essex. Its organiser, 14 year-old Sarah Hine, advertised the party on Facebook as the "Project X of Essex", a reference to the movie Project X where a party spirals out of control. Bedrooms were destroyed, furniture was pulled apart and thrown about the room and walls were daubed with obscenities. Neighbours called the police after two hours. They arrived at around 9pm to disperse the crowd.
The girl's mother, Esther, had been present in an attempt to keep "an eye out for trouble". She said her insurers had refused to pay out on the damage. “I am stunned – why would they do this? There wasn't supposed to be drink but the police told me they confiscated an unbelievable amount of alcohol from the groups. I just didn’t think this would happen.”
The teenager attends Anglo European School in Ingatestone, Essex. The school said it was "saddened" to learn about the damage. “We were aware that the party was being advertised on Facebook and advised the mother and daughter of the risks this posed," added a spokeswoman. “We regularly speak with our students about the dangers of social media and while young people from across Essex attended the event we hope our students will learn lessons from this incident."
Despite the damage and repair bill, the teenager seems to have shown no remorse, describing Friday's events as "worth it".
