‘Devastated’ mother of 13-year-old boy who was part of ‘evil’ gang of young vandals that turned ‘haunted’ Grade II-listed Isle of Wight mansion into a ‘warzone’ tells court she is trying to teach her son ‘right from wrong’

The ‘devastated’ mother of the youngest member of a gang of vandals which turned a Grade II-listed home into a ‘war zone’ today told a court she is trying to teach her son ‘right from wrong’.

The then 12-year-old was one of seven ‘evil’ youngsters who ransacked the £1.2million holiday home of artist Joanna Pittard and her husband Matt.

Over a month long spree of destruction while the family were away, the youths caused more than £200,000 of damage to the six-bedroom Isle of Wight 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 Mrs Pittard’s wedding dress.

As the final member of the seven-strong group of youths was sentenced today, Mrs Pittard said in a statement read to the court that whilst cleaning up from the ‘whirlwind’ of destruction, she found ‘soiled toilet paper’ and a children’s toy with ‘stab marks’, while her daughters have found graffiti marked across the house.

Joanna and Matt Pittard’s house was ransacked by a gang of youths, who destroyed her beloved wedding dress (pictured)  

Over a month long spree of destruction while the family were away, the youths caused more than £200,000 of damage to the six-bedroom Isle of Wight property with chainsaws, axes and sledgehammers making it ‘uninhabitable’ 

A close up photo of one of the boarded up windows at the couple’s £1.2m Isle of Wight home  

These windows had been smashed by the group of children. The father said his son had not even apologised for what he had done  

The Year Nine schoolboy – now aged 13 – told the court 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 two 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.

‘They were standing outside,’ he said. ‘Two other people were inside and they invited them in.

‘They entered through the back door. He was inside for approximately two hours on the third of 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 youth 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’.

All seven youths – aged between 13 and 16 – admitted criminal damage at a hearing before Isle of Wight Magistrates Court last month.

They damaged a wrought-iron chandelier, flipped over antique furniture, chopped down a palm tree and even destroyed Mrs Pittard’s wedding dress (pictured) 

The court heard the couple have spent over £35,000 on repairs so far, but it is still ‘absolutely nowhere near finished’. An estate agent said damage to the property had ‘seriously reduced’ its market value by between £250,000 to £300,000 

Prosecuting, Ann Smout, said among the enormous amount of damage caused, they smashed 23 windows in the house, squirted tomato ketchup around the property and engraved graffiti into a ‘mahogany wood window cill’.

Last week, the father of one of the youths told MailOnline he believes they targeted the house in Shanklin because it was rumoured to be haunted. ‘ It was supposed to have a ghost’, he said. ‘It is close by and that was probably the reason they went inside’.

Mrs Pittards’ father had bought the property 20 years ago and she told the court today her elderly parents have been left ‘broken from knowing what has happened to the house’.

The court heard Mrs Pittard became physically ill whilst cleaning the home as she had to clean up ‘hazardous’ items like ‘soiled toilet paper stuck on the walls’.

Details of the house – now owned by Matt and Joanna Pittard trashed by seven teens in a wrecking spree – were featured in The Original Ghosts of the Isle of Wight, which was first published in 1977

Her father formerly worked as an antiques dealer and she said ‘a lot of his collection ended up in the skip’.

Sentimental items like family photos had been ‘burnt’ and Mrs’ Pittards’ wedding dress was ‘destroyed’ after being covered in oil, nail vanish and footprints.

Discussing the dress, she said: ‘It had obviously been tried on as the zip was not how I left it.

‘There is no way it can be cleaned. I have two daughters and neither of them can ever choose to keep it as an heirloom or wear it on their wedding day.’

The artist said they will never ‘recover financially or emotionally’ from the event and said she started making notes of the damage but had to stop as ‘it kept going on and on’.

Mrs Pittard said she continues to find glass at the house – including in one of her daughter’s slippers.

She added: ‘I don’t think we will ever get it back to how it was.

‘I feel myself in a dark place and only my family are keeping me here.’

The court heard the couple have spent over £35,000 on repairs so far, but it is still ‘absolutely nowhere near finished’.

An estate agent said damage to the property had ‘seriously reduced’ its market value by between £250,000 to £300,000.

During today’s sentencing, 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 boy shook his head when asked by magistrate Andrew Hext if he was still ‘hanging out’ with the other youths involved. His mother said she had given up work to support him. Pictured is damage to the property caused by the youths 

The boy – who is currently in year nine – received the same sentence as the other six perpetrators which was a 12 month referral order while his parents have been ordered to pay £1,500 compensation. Pictured: The damaged property

The boy shook his head when asked by magistrate Andrew Hext if he was still ‘hanging out’ with the other youths involved.

His mother said she had given up work to support him, adding: ‘We are just going to keep trying and putting him on the right track.

‘We already had challenges as a family so I spend my time with my children, teaching them right from wrong.’

Sentencing the youth, Mr 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 – who is currently in year nine – received the same sentence as the other six perpetrators which was a 12 month referral order while his parents have been ordered to pay £1,500 compensation.

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