Teen who wrecked girl’s home spared jail

A TEENAGE gatecrasher whose gang caused more than £20,000 in damage to a schoolgirl’s home has avoided jail.

Connor Goodfellow was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work for his role in a rampage at a party which left a trail of destruction while the 14-yearold girl’s parents were out.

Goodfellow, 20, admitted being personally responsible for more than £3,000 worth of damage after he left bath taps on to flood the bathroom until the kitchen ceiling collapsed. He was aged 18 at the time.

The house, in Luncarty, Perthshire, was so badly damaged the family had to move out while extensive repairs took place.

Sentencing him at Perth Sheriff Court yesterday, Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: ‘There was an element of pack mentality. He was drinking, as were others. There would be an element that they didn’t actually appreciate the consequences of what they were doing.’

The girl, who is now 16 and cannot be named for legal reasons, told how Goodfellow pulled a knife on her when she tried to throw him and his gang out after they showed up to the house uninvited. She said: ‘He said if I asked him to leave one more time I was going to get it – then he got the knife out. He was laughing sarcastically.’

Goodfellow, of Cowdenbeath, Fife, changed his plea during the trial to admit maliciously flooding the bathroom and causing other damage.

Co-accused Jordan McLean, 18, of Perth, is awaiting sentence.

Four other gang members had charges against them dropped but were given a dire warning by Sheriff Foulis yesterday.

He said: ‘I have little doubt these two are effectively the fall guys... I don’t want the others to think this was a big jape and a joke. Frankly it’s a disgrace.’