Liam Brammer admits £10,160 vandalism at Bootham School

Liam Brammer was 19 when he  smashed through double doors, broke a projector, teaching aids and computers and attacked students’ projects during his £10,160 drink-fuelled rampage at Bootham School, said Michael Cahill, prosecuting.

Then he told a member of the public in Station Road what he had done, his first name and his home town.

But by the time the other person had contacted police and officers had gone to the scene, Brammer had disappeared.

Although the member of the public gave his description and said he had gone over Lendal Bridge, he wasn’t tracked down and arrested for four years.

Brammer, now 24, of Hastings Grove, Wakefield, pleaded guilty at York Crown Court to burglary with intent to cause damage and criminal damage.

Recorder Paul Reid told him after reading a probation report and medical notes: “You were quite clearly in a bad way at this particular time. For reasons which are not apparent and never will be, you caused extensive damage.”

He made Brammer subject to a two-year community order with 20 days’ rehabilitative activities and 120 hours’ unpaid work. He did not order him to pay any compensation to the school.

“It seems to me you are completely incapable of paying compensation,” the judge said.

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Brammer was suspended from his present job working with vulnerable adults after he told his employers about the case and will face a disciplinary hearing, the court heard.

Mr Cahill said Brammer visited York and carried out the vandalism on February 10, 2018, using a fire extinguisher to smash the doors.

At 6.30am, the member of the public saw him with blood on him carrying the fire extinguisher in Station Road.

At 10.35am, Bootham School contacted the police to say it had been burgled and vandalised.

Forensic officers found blood with Brammer’s DNA in it. But he had not been in trouble with the police before, so wasn’t on the police DNA register. As there were no further clues, the case was closed.

A fire extinguisher (Image: Newsquest)

In March this year, Brammer was arrested on an unconnected matter and a sample of his DNA was taken.

When it was checked against the police database, it matched the sample from Bootham School and Brammer was charged with the vandalism.

For Brammer, Emily Hassell said he had had a difficult childhood.

In January and February 2018, his mental health had been such that he had attempted to kill himself twice, the second time, nine days before breaking into Bootham School.

“It was clearly a period of mental instability in his life,” she said.

He had come to York with friends and had no memory of that evening because of the alcohol he had drunk.

Since then, he had managed to get long-term accommodation, worked in the hospitality sector for a while and last year had started working with adults with mental health problems. He had not been charged with any offence relating to his March 2022 arrest.