A HOTEL room was "ransacked" by a man who was given emergency accommodation by the council, a court has heard.

Kelvyn Robert Tinton admitted the offence when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford on January 13.

The 21-year-old had been housed in a room at Belmont Abbey's Hedley Lodge by the council during the coronavirus pandemic, prosecutor Shafquat Reaz said.

"But when staff at the hotel went into his room on October 16, they found it had been ransacked," Mr Reaz said.

The carnage left behind by Tinton included damage to the walls, doors, chests of drawers and mirrors, leaving the hotel with a £920 repair bill.

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In interview, Tinton, who was found two days later, said he had been upset that morning and had reacted in a violent way.

Speaking on his own behalf, Tinton said he wanted to apologise for what happened and that he was happy to pay what he could afford to repair the damage.

Tinton, of Springfield Avenue, Hereford, was ordered to pay compensation of £400. No costs order was made due to a lack of means.