Condemnation of house vandalism by Irish students

Students from Ireland who trashed a rented house while on a working holiday in San Francisco have been condemned by Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan.

Landlord Ritu Vohra claimed the rampaging students caused thousands of dollars worth of damage

The house is in the Sunset District of the city, one of the highest-priced areas for real estate in the US. She said she rented it to the group of students after they appealed to be “given a break on their rent”.

She said the students were struggling to find accommodation and she felt sorry for them.

An emigrant herself, Ms Vohra told a local news channel, KPIX 5: “I was doing it to be nice.”

She described the destruction as acts of ‘mini terrorism’.

“How drunk would you have to be?” she added. “How angry would you have to be? How violent would you have to be? The security deposit would cover nothing. Not even the windows.

“I have nothing personal against them. But I at least want to recover the damage they’ve done.”

According to local news reports, Ms Vohra was greeted with scenes of destruction after the students returned to Ireland. The damage included broken windows, chandeliers, and pieces of furniture.

The students left rubbish throughout the house including dirty underwear and used condoms.

One student left behind an enveloped marked ‘Personal property of arrested person only’. There were also several holes smashed into the walls by what appears to be a golf club.

The Irish Consulate in San Francisco stated it would do whatever it could and expend “every effort” to find those responsible.

Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Charlie Flanagan tweeted his outrage.

“The smashing of the US house by Irish students is shocking, deplorable and unacceptable” he said.

“However, it is not representative of our young Irish abroad.”

The smashing of the US house by Irish students is shocking deplorable & unacceptable however not representative of our young Irish abroad.

— Charlie Flanagan (@CharlieFlanagan) September 21, 2014