Lincoln teen caused £500 of damage by trashing YMCA room

A teenager ended up homeless and on the streets after smashing up his rented room, Lincoln Crown Court was told.

Myles Horton covered the walls and furniture of his room at Lincoln’s YMCA in bleach and waste food.

Then he blocked the toilet by forcing items inside it.

Noel Philo, prosecuting, said that Horton also smashed a bedside cabinet and in total caused an estimated £500 worth of damage to the room.

As a result he had to leave the YMCA and was sleeping rough.

Mr Philo said that while Horton was homeless he broke into a block of flats in Thorngate House, Lincoln, during the early hours of the morning and stole a number of parcels which were left behind the concierge’s desk awaiting collection by a resident.

Horton was arrested after CCTV footage from the premises led to him being identified as the burglar.

Horton, 19, of no fixed address, admitted criminal damage at the YMCA on October 26 and burglary in the early hours of December 1.

He also admitted breach of a previous suspended sentence.

He was sent to a young offenders’ institution for a total of 13 months.

Siward James-Moore, in mitigation, said that Horton moved to Lincoln to try and find work but found himself homeless and without a job.

“He ended up in the YMCA.

“He found himself associating with drug users and dishonest people. One of them made a comment about his sister and he effectively lost it causing the damage.

“That led to the loss of his accommodation and being homeless.

“When he was arrested he said he wanted to go back to prison. He had been genuinely homeless and sleeping on the streets.”