10 December 2012 A CHURCH leader’s home has been left trashed after 800 revellers turned up after a 14-year-old girl’s birthday bash was advertised on Facebook.
Strangers from across Essex were crammed “like sardines” inside 14-year-old Sarah Hine’s terraced home Billericay, with hundreds more outside because they couldn’t get in.
The party was quickly dubbed 'ProjectX of Essex' on Twitter, after movie ProjectX where a teenager’s house is wrecked after the party is posted online.
Neighbours said Pauline Gardens resembled “Belfast in the 1970s” at the height of the trouble. Cab firms also refused to take people into the street once crowds grew.
Within two hours of starting at 6.30pm on Friday night every room in the three-bedroom house had been ransacked despite Sarah’s former Brentwood councillor mum Esther being there to “keep an eye out” for trouble.
Damage during the mayhem included: *Graffiti, including obscenities, daubed across virtually every wall *Furniture in upstairs rooms smashed to pieces and door ripped off *Yobs who entered the loft kicking through the ceiling and throwing down computers which were smashed in the bathroom *Light fittings and mirrors destroyed
An Essex Police spokeswoman said: “Police were called following calls from residents regarding nuisance behaviour in the street.
“Officers found a large number of teenagers had visited the area to attend a party advertised openly on social media.”
Yobs also threw empty alcohol bottles inside the party and a number of mobile phones were lost during the do.
Sarah, a pupil at the highly respected Anglo European School in Ingatestone, had invited up to 30 school friends to her house for an early celebration of her 15th birthday in February.
However, full details of the address were posted by her on Facebook.
The bash still went ahead despite the school contacting Mrs Hine- , who is also on the council committee of Christ Church Warley - two weeks ago to check if she was aware it was advertised on the internet.
A friend of Sarah’s said: “We went to meet some of our friends at the station and there were other people arriving asking for directions. I said I don’t know, but they just followed us back.”
Mrs Hine said at 6.30pm there were about 20 of Sarah’s close friends, but by 7pm scores of people were turning up in groups of ten or more.
Yet they were welcomed into the house until it and the garden were full and hundreds of youths were drinking outside.
Despite, apparently losing control of her property, Mrs Hine continued to allow people in and it was neighbours who called police about the crowds outside.
One woman, who would not be named, said: “It was like Belfast in the 1970s out there. It was terrifying to see it in the quiet road. There were hundreds of people out to cause trouble.”
Scores of police were mobilised across Billericay from 8pm to turn back new arrivals and disperse others from the house and street.
A man, 43, returning from a pub, saw arguments between police and youths at the station.
He said: “I saw at least half a dozen police cars at or near the station and they included at least one dog unit.
“I could see groups of teenagers on both platforms of the station, all over the forecourt and wandering around.”