A TEENAGER caused damage to a house he was squatting in, a court heard.
Dexter Hoff, of no fixed address, admitted trespass and theft before Kirklees magistrates yesterday.
The bench was told that the 19-year-old broke into a property at Marsh Grove Road, Edgerton, on Boxing Day last year.
He entered the unoccupied house by forcing his way through a rear window.
Hoff then placed a ‘Section 6’ notice in a window stating his intention to squat there.
Paul Ramsay, prosecuting, said that during the teenager’s stay there he removed a wood burning stove from the living room using a screwdriver.
He also damaged the front door as he did this, causing an estimated £1,500 damage.
When the owner returned he called police and Hoff was found in the garage.
Hoff told officers he moved into the garage because the house was ‘massive’ and it was warmer in there.
He said he had given the stove to his mother.
Charles Ainley, defending, said Hoff had been struggling to survive because he was jobless and without accommodation.
He said: “He was squatting in the house because it was absolutely freezing and he had nowhere to go.”
He added that his client was desperate to find work and planned to return to education to improve his job prospects.
Mr Ainley added that Hoff had since contacted the property’s owner and offered to work for him to help pay him back for the damage caused.
Magistrates gave Hoff a community order for 12 months as a direct alternative to custody.
They also ordered him to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
