Teen arrested after out-of-control party destroys Brisbane home

A teenage boy has been taken into custody after a wild elite school student party left a Brisbane home in tatters.

A teenage boy has been taken into custody after an out-of-control party on Saturday night which left a Brisbane home in tatters.

A spokeswoman for the Queensland Police Service said they took a 16-year-old Kelvin Grove boy into custody Tuesday morning after they executed a search warrant at the boy’s home and seized evidence in relation to the party.

The arrest comes after elite private school students from Brisbane Boys’ College threw the party at a home on Geelong St, East Brisbane on Saturday.

Footage captured that night shows hundreds of revellers at the property, damaging everything from the plumbing to throwing expensive appliances and a mower directly into the pool.

Homeowner Benjamin Holt lists the property on Airbnb, and was expecting five guests and one infant to stay at the house on April 5.

A Brisbane home trashed in a wild youth party after the home was initially booked for a party of five. Picture: Sunrise

It instead turned into an unhinged rave of more than 400 teenagers.

After seeing media coverage, someone identifying themselves as the host of the party sent an e-mail to Mr Holt from a burner account, taunting him with the threat that he “should’ve thrashed the house even more”.

“Hey why the hell would you get the cops and news involved man,” the e-mail began.

“Now that I see the news, idc (i don’t care) if u (sic) press charges on me.

“I should’ve thrashed the house even more. And btw (by the way) I ain’t paying for anything which was damaged. Sent from my burner btw. If u (sic) wanna press charges go for it dude.

“But that would cost u (sic) too much money ahaha.”

Housing Minister Sam O’Connor said there could be ways the state government could better protect Airbnb properties and was “open to all options”.

“The onus is falling onto local governments at the moment, but there very much could be a role for the state to play, and we’ll keep working with the industry,” Mr O’Connor said.

Mr O’Connor suggested ideas such as a stricter registration system to record those that stayed at temporary accommodation, which he said was supported by Airbnb.

A Brisbane Boys’ College spokesman told The Courier-Mail the school was only made aware of the party on Monday morning, but confirmed students involved would be held accountable.

“Based on the information available, it has been reported that the host is a student of the college. We are continuing to work closely with all key stakeholders, including the police and the family, as we address this matter,” he said.

“We will be conducting an internal investigation into the matter, guided by our college values and policies. Students will be held accountable for their choices and actions. To ensure we do not interfere with the ongoing police investigation, our internal process will commence next week. Any disciplinary action will be considered following the conclusion of that investigation.”

He criticised the actions of the students involved, describing the party as “deplorable.”

“Students found to be involved in this deplorable incident will face proportionate and appropriate consequences,” he said.

“We work closely with our students to guide them in making responsible choices that align with our college values. As part of our ongoing wellbeing program, we will continue to offer proactive lessons on important issues such as parties, responsible alcohol consumption, consent, and respectful relationships.

“While this incident is disappointing, it provides us with an opportunity to reinforce these essential messages with our community.”

Brisbane Boys College, private school in Toowong. AAP Image/Steve Pohlner

Earlier, a letter from Brisbane Boys’ College headmaster Andre Casson to parents said the school was “aware of some extremely poor behaviour by students at a house party”.

“Unfortunately, BBC boys attended this event, and it appears that students from the college were the hosts,” Mr Casson wrote.

“The behaviour of the students at this event were at direct odds to our college values and are counter to our ambition to produce gentlemen of honour.

“I am extremely saddened and disappointed by the actions of a small number of our students.

“I have reached out to the police this morning to offer any assistance that we can to aid their investigations. Moreover, we will conduct an internal investigation in accordance with our policies and procedures.”

The home was originally booked for five guests and an infant. Picture: Sunrise

The wild party was caught on film. Picture: Sunrise

Mr Casson also took aim at students for circulating vision from the event on social media.

“In addition to the abhorrent and completely unacceptable behaviour displayed at the event, it is deeply concerning that images are circulating on social media,” he wrote.

“Even more troubling is that a number of individuals have “liked” these disturbing posts. By liking or sharing such material, individuals are effectively condoning the behaviour, contributing to its spread, and undermining the standards we expect of our students.

“This behaviour, in any form, is completely unacceptable and stands in direct opposition to our values.

“We expect so much more of our students and hold them accountable given the wealth of opportunities provided to them by their parents and the college.”

The interior of the home was not spared. Picture: Sunrise

One parent said on social media that she had barred her daughter from attending because the venue kept changing.

She said it was $20 to attend.

Speaking to ABC Radio Brisbane, Mr Holt said his neighbours offered to help with the clean-up.

“They were helpful, they brought over their vacuum cleaner because mine got thrown in the pool,” he said.

“They brought over their brooms, their rubbish bins, and they even helped me with the clean-up, they have been saints really.”

Mr Holt said he would not take the apartment off Airbnb.

“We can’t do that because there are so many families that need to enjoy the area and what Brisbane has to offer,” he said.

Owner Benjamin Holt said he would continue to list the home. . Picture: Sunrise

Mr Holt said he was going to attempt to recoup costs from the family of five that the booking was intended for, before getting Airbnb involved.

“The police have the details of the family so they have the opportunity to reimburse the cost first, so hopefully they just do the right thing and reimburse the cost,” he said.

“Otherwise, then Airbnb do get involved and that’s when it becomes a little messier and a little bit more challenging.”

Investigations remain ongoing. Anyone with information about the gathering is encouraged to contact police.

A spokesperson for Airbnb Australia and New Zealand said they did not permit “disruptive gatherings and this type of behaviour has no place on our platform”.

“We know that the overwhelming majority of guests are responsible and treat their Airbnb listings and neighbourhoods as if they were their own,” the spokesperson said.

“We’re supporting the host and are in contact with police to assist in their investigation.”

Originally published as Teen arrested after out-of-control party destroys Brisbane home