A 16-YEAR-OLD boy has been told to pay £141 compensation to a Swindon pensioner after he was caught on camera hurling a paint can through her glass front door.

Now she says she wants the youth to call round and apologise and clean up the paint he left on her door.

Police have praised the actions of Valerie Hearn, 68, the woman who snared the teenager on her private CCTV system.

"It would be nice to have an explanation as to what his motivation was," she said. "I'm glad with the amount awarded as it covers the cost of the glass repair. These young people should be made to compensate for their actions. They don't need a pat on the head or a holiday somewhere, that's not going to deter them. They should work it off or they should pay it off."

The youth, who cannot be named because of his age, appeared before Swindon Youth Court and admitted causing criminal damage to Mrs Hearn's bungalow in Derwent Drive, Upper Stratton, on March 14.

He was told to serve an 18-hour Attendance Centre Order, in which he must work with Swindon Youth Offending Team, as well as pay his victim £141 compensation.

Mrs Hearn added: "The Youth Offending Team has been in touch with me and they've asked me what my feelings are and what I'd like him to do.

"I have given them some options, such as him coming and cleaning the paint off. An apology would also be nice."

Kevin Leaning, from the Youth Offending Team, said they will seek to comply with her requests.

He said: "We have done this sort of thing in the past and find confronting offenders with the results of their actions can be a very good way of preventing re-offending.

"But it depends on the offender, we can't force them to say sorry, it has got to be a genuine apology."

Mrs Hearn and her partner Roy Millin, 72, installed cameras at their Derwent Drive bungalow because of persistent problems with vandals.

As well as a CCTV camera outside, costing £85 and connected to a video recorder, she has a colour camcorder, worth £600, which was pointing out of the living room window when the incident happened.

Film given to police showed a group of seven teenagers outside Mrs Hearn's home.

The youth who was convicted is seen to leap over the fence and hurl a can of spray paint at the front door, smashing the glass and scattering paint.

Police did not call around until five days later when she made a statement and handed the footage to Upper Stratton community beat officer PC Steve Fletcher.

He said: "We have had some problems around that area and the film was very useful.

"I spoke to Mrs Hearn, who gave me details of the damage, and the magistrates felt it was fit they should award compensation.

"As far as police are concerned, the more evidence we have the easier the job is made."

The Evening Advertiser asked Swindon defence lawyer Con Fernandez if the sentence in this case was a typical one.

He said: "If this was quite a persistent young offender then this would be a light sentence but if this was a second offence then I would say the sentence is middle to high."

Last week the Evening Advertiser reported how Haydon Wick resident Michael Uzzell, 50, used his own CCTV system to catch a youth on camera vandalising his Mercedes car.

So far police have not reported any success in their inquiries.