Teen Facebook party trashes Lottery-winner's house - AOL Money UK

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Sandra Fosbrooke, who won ?12.8 million on the lottery (pictured at the time of her win), is facing an enormous bill for damage to her ?415,000 home, after teenagers gatecrashed a party held by her daughter and trashed the place.

And this isn't just a problem for the mega-wealthy.

Trashed

Sandra was working at a pub nearby - which she bought into with her winnings - when her 17-year-old daughter Ffion threw a house party at her home in Five Roads, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.

Unfortunately, after mentioning it on Facebook, the party was overtaken by more than 200 teenagers, who caused serious damage to the property. The Daily Mail reported that it took police 40 minutes to break up the party - during which time six people were arrested. The police later confirmed that two of them will face criminal charges.

The Sun reported one witness as saying: "There were about 200 people, with fights starting everywhere. It was chaos. I think someone threw a flatscreen telly out of the window."

Ffion took to Facebook to express her remorse. She questioned whether she "should show my face in this village again!" and said her Christmas was going to be a nightmare because "none of my family want to talk to me".

We can only hope that Sandra has put enough cash aside to clear up the damage. However, this isn't just the sort of thing that happens to lottery winners.

Not alone

Last month, riot police were called to break up a party in the Dutch town of Haren, after a 16th birthday party was advertised on Facebook and 3,000 people showed up. The police arrested 20 people, and the violence spread to the local town, where party-goers started looting from the shops.

Meanwhile, in Colchester, Essex, a 17-year-old A-Level student was stabbed to death after a party was advertised on Facebook and 100 gatecrashers showed up.

Back in April it was Bradley McAnulty's 16th birthday in Poole in Dorset which went viral on Facebook. Police were called after 400 people showed up and caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage - including ripping the back door off, damaging fencing, breaking a window and pulling down the living room curtains. Two boys were arrested that time.

Protect yourself

Teenagers are always going to have parties, but they don't have to be a disaster. Facebook is not the place to be advertising a party. Teens need to understand the number of guests they are allowed - and to invite them all personally. If they insist on using Facebook they need to make the invitation private and make it clear it is just for family and friends.

You're not going to be the coolest parents on the block, but by far the safest option is to make sure you are in on the night of the party, or at most a couple of houses away staying with neighbours. That way you are on hand if something does go wrong.

Finally, if news leaks out, be proactive. One Irish teen contacted police after accidentally leaking a party invitation on Facebook. He cancelled the party, and they attended the property for the night, turning revellers away.

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Source: http://money.aol.co.uk/2012/11/20/teen-facebook-party-trashes-lottery-winners-house/

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