attack on his home on Monday, says he's shocked and can't understand the senselessness of it all.

Bill Madden, who works out of the old nursery behind the National Trust's Springfield house, told The Royal Gazette yesterday that the situation would be easier to understand if the school kids had tried to steal something.

"But they didn't even do that. Obviously they weren't in it for the money, just the kicks,'' he said. "What's the logic? The Police officers said the same thing -- just a stupid act of vandalism.'' Reports that three of the four youths -- aged between 11 and 14 -- had been suspended for the day from Sandys Secondary School could not be confirmed by the school's Principal, Mr. Melvyn Bassett.

"I heard about it for the first time on the news last night,'' he said..

"No-one has (officially) told me any of them were from Sandys Secondary.

We're just investigating it ourselves,'' he said.

"If it indeed turns out some were from Sandys it would be tragic because we've also got a group of students who, for the past four years, have been volunteering their time to paint the house.'' Mr. Bassett also pointed out that no students had been suspended from the school on Monday, nor were there any 11-year-old students currently registered at Sandys Secondary: "But we'll continue to investigate.'' The National Trust's Somerset property manager Mr. Louis (Red) DeSilva -- who together with a Somerset Police officer caught the youths in the act -- earlier told The Royal Gazette three were wearing maroon and grey school uniforms when they were caught.

The four were arrested Monday after they smashed windows, spray painted walls, and broke down doors at a small cottage known as the old nursery, one of two buildings located on the same grounds as Springfield on Somerset Road. The youths have since been released from Police custody and returned to Somerset, press officer Evelyn James Barnett said yesterday.

Dating back to the 1700s, Springfield was bought by the Government in the 1950s and at one time served as a library. The property was purchased by the National Trust in 1966 and is widely considered to be the Trust's Somerset "jewel''.

Mr. Madden, who operates Masthead Communications, said one Super VHS video camera was completely smashed while computer and video editing monitors and equipment -- valued at more than $10,000 -- were spray painted red, white and blue. The youths were also caught with a Nikon camera in their possession, he said.

Meanwhile his portfolio of photographic and video stock was thrown all over the place: "I'm still finding stuff that's broken. Slides on the floor; every window smashed; all the walls spray painted. It just doesn't make sense.'' Mr. DeSilva was tipped off that something was amiss at the property when neighbours reported hearing noise. He stopped by the Somerset Police station for an escort and, with a constable in tow, proceeded to the house where they caught the youths.

The pair found two youths outside on a patio while the other two were inside the old nursery. One was found with a spray can in his hand: "They acted surprised but they didn't seem overly concerned,'' he recalled.

While the youths focused most of their destructive energy on the old nursery, there was also paint damage to the outside of Springfield, said Mr. DeSilva.

SENSELESS -- Louis (Red) DeSilva stands knee-deep in the mess at the old nursery behind Springfield.

ENVIRONMENT ENV CLUB CLB