MySpace 'animals' wreck house
2007-04-13 08:47
London - Two parents were left with a £20 000 bill after a party advertised by their teenage daughter on the MySpace social networking site attracted hundreds of revellers who trashed their home.
Despite warnings from her mother not to have "any kids or drink in the house" while her parents went on a caravan holiday, 17-year-old Rachel Bell advertised her "Skins"-themed party, after a British television series about promiscuous, drug-taking teenagers, on MySpace for Easter Monday.
Bell expected about 30 or 40 people to arrive, but instead more than 200 invaded the house in Woodstone Village, County Durham, northern England, some from as far away as London, carrying what neighbours described as "a suitcase full of alcohol" wreaking mayhem in the quiet town.
Her parents Alan and Elaine returned home the following day to find plastic buckets filled with vomit, cigarette butts littered throughout the house, and even Elaine's wedding dress pulled out from a wardrobe and urinated on.
"It's worse than a burglary, I can't believe it," Elaine Bell said.
'It's like house rape'
"Whoever has come in here are worse than animals, it's like house rape. They've been sick everywhere, urinated and trashed the house. It will take a month for it to be professionally cleaned and we are having to stay in temporary accommodation."
Rachel Bell was staying with a friend on Thursday for a "cooling off" period which she agreed to with her mother, while her parents dealt with the devastation in their home.
Her MySpace advertisement for the "Skins" party was subtitled, "Let's trash the average family-sized house disco party", though the teenager denies posting the message.
"They've pulled light fittings from the ceiling and I can't believe someone would come in and do something like this," Alan Bell said.
"There's cigarette burns on furniture and mattresses and it's a wonder they haven't burnt the house down."
Durham police said the incident would be investigated, with a spokesperson saying that they planned to "speak in due course to as many of the party-goers as we can".