The ‘devastated’ mother of the youngest member of a gang of vandals that turned a Grade II-listed home into a ‘war zone’ has told the Youth Court that she is trying to teach her son ‘right from wrong’. The then 12-year-old was 1 of 7 ‘evil’ youngsters who ransacked the £1.2million house in Shanklin owned by artist Joanna Pittard and her husband Matt, as previously reported by Island Echo. Over a month-long spree of destruction, while the family were away, the youths caused more than £200,000 of damage to the Rectory Road property with chainsaws, axes and sledgehammers making it ‘uninhabitable’. They damaged a wrought-iron chandelier, flipped over antique furniture, chopped down a palm tree and even destroyed the homeowner’s beloved wedding dress. In a statement read to the Isle of Wight Youth Court today (Tuesday), Mrs Pittard said whilst cleaning up from the ‘whirlwind’ of destruction, she found ‘soiled toilet paper’, a children’s toy with ‘stab marks’ and said her daughters have found graffiti marked across the house. She also told of her sorrow that her daughters would no longer be able to wear her dress on their wedding day. Mrs Pittard’s statement also spoke about the devastating impact the event has had on her and her family and said a year later she continues to find glass – including in one of her daughter’s slippers. Mrs Pittards’ father had bought the property 20 years ago and she told the court her elderly parents have been left ‘broken from knowing what has happened to the house’. 
The Year 9 schoolboy – now aged 13 – today said he was ‘really sorry’ to the Pittards for the ‘reckless’ damage he had helped cause while his mother said he has made ‘changes to his life’. Mitigating, Oscar Vincent told the court the young boy admitted to attending the property on 2 occasions in June last year, smashing a window with a hammer. He said the youth – who can’t be named for legal reasons – went to the house with another member of the gang. Mr Vincent added:
“They were standing outside. Two other people were inside and they invited them in. “They entered through the back door. He was inside for approximately two hours on 3rd June and he admitted that he did break a window with a hammer on that occasion. “At the time, he accepted he had no right to be in [the house]. In his own words, he accepts his actions were impulsive and reckless.”
Mr Vincent said the youngster was ‘being encouraged by the older boys’ and by the time he had arrived at the property, ‘much of the damage had already been done’. During a court case at Isle of Wight Youth Court last month, the boy and the other 6 perpetrators – aged between 13 and 16 – admitted criminal damage to the property near Big Mead. 
At today’s sentencing, which had been adjourned for the boy’s parent to attend, Magistrate Andrew Hext asked the boy:
“If that was your house that would be awful, wouldn’t it?”
He asked the 13-year-old – who was sat at the back of the courtroom with his mum – if he had anything to say. The teenager responded by saying:
“I am really sorry for the action I have caused to that family”
The magistrate asked him if he was still ‘hanging out’ with the other boys and the young boy shook his head. His mother added:
“He’s made changes to his life. We are devastated as a family. We are just going to keep trying and putting him on the right track. “I have given up work to support [him] through some of the other stuff going on in our family. “We already had challenges as a family so I spend my time with my children, teaching them right from wrong.”
Article continues below this advertisement
Sentencing the youth, Magistrate Hext said as this was a ‘joint offence’, everyone involved was ‘equally liable’. He said:
“I have no words to adequately describe the horrendous damage to the house and the life-changing impact it has on the Pittard family “You can move on, I’m not sure they ever will.”
The boy received the same sentence as the other 6 perpetrators – a 12-month referral order with his parents ordered to pay £1,500 compensation.
