Boy house-wrecker given 'good hiding'

THE FATHER of a six-year-old boy who helped cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to a neighbour's house with a friend said yesterday the child had been given a 'good hiding'.

The law cannot punish the boy and his six-year-old friend for wrecking the house in Basingstoke, Hampshire, because they are under the age of criminal liability. But the father of one boy said: 'It's his birthday next week. There will be no celebrations, and we have taken away his Easter eggs. I have given him a good hiding and he's confined to his room and cannot see the other boy involved.'

The 31-year-old father, who is unemployed, said: 'The police took me to see the damage. If you had not seen it yourself you wouldn't believe it. He's never been in real trouble before. He's broken a window and enjoys breaking glass, like bottles, but I never thought he would do anything like this.'

The father, who said he felt 'very, very guilty', said the boys vandalised the house after going out playing on Saturday afternoon. But he added: 'I blame the violence on television for much of this, although I realise I must share the blame.

'Cartoons show total destruction and there's even a game show where children are shown into a room and have to look for things by ransacking it. Parents are very restricted on how we can discipline our children. We are not even allowed to smack them.' Neighbours caught the two boys - who told police they 'wanted to have some fun' - after hearing the commotion of an hour- long wrecking spree during which the pair broke glasses and ornaments, smashed a double-glazed lounge window, hurled a television, stereo and two video recorders to the floor, turned over wardrobes and emptied clothes out of drawers, smashed a toilet seat and an upstairs door and doused carpets and clothes with perfume and bath oil.