logo
Holiday home is trashed after gender reveal booking turns into 200-people drunken rampage

Holiday home is trashed after gender reveal booking turns into 200-people drunken rampage

Daily Mail​06-07-2025
An Airbnb home was trashed when a gender reveal booking turned into a 200-people drunken rampage.
Police in riot vans were called to a 10-bed £635,000 home in the quiet village of Norden, Greater Manchester, after revellers from as far as London turned up.
More than 150 people had filled the street and parked over locals' driveways with 'minibus after minibus' arriving every 15 minutes.
Matt Genesis, 33, said he was duped after agreeing to rent his home out to a group of eight people who booked it via Instagram for a gender reveal.
He had been alerted to the chaos by upset neighbours, but when he tried to log in to the property's external security cameras to witness the carnage, he found they had been disconnected at the £450 a night rental.
The disaster caused £2,000 worth of damage, with furniture broken and lamps seen smashed on the floor.
It has been likened to 2012 teen movie Project X, a film based on real life events when a house party attracts hundreds of unexpected revellers after details are posted on social media.
The property, which previously underwent a £200,000 renovation and includes a hot tub and pool tables, took three staff 12 hours to clean following the party.
Mr Genesis revealed he was first was alerted by noise complaints from neighbours on Wednesday, June 25.
After arriving to the home at 9.30pm, he was shocked to find 150 people filling the streets and trying to get in to the 10-person home.
Mr Genesis, who is a director of Fairway Building & Remedial Contractors, the company which owns the property, said: 'Whilst we were there, minibus after minibus was turning up - I'd say one every 15 minutes, a minibus full of six to eight people walking in.
'It was out of control - police turned up. We called them, obviously neighbours had called them. It was out of our control.
'Even the guy who booked it, it was out of his control on his behalf - he said he didn't expect anywhere near the amount of people, but it's been passed around group and groups.'
He said the operation had been 'calculated' - with guests disabling the home's security systems.
'Usually if guests are checking in we have cameras on the property, but as soon as they entered they turned the Wi-Fi off,' he said.
'That disabled the cameras, so we weren't able to deal with it any sooner than they could. It was very much "Project X".'
The embarrassed Airbnb owners were forced to say sorry to neighbours and cancel their next booking as they worked to replace broken furniture and deep clean the damaged house.
The only money the owners received in return is the £450 per night charge, plus a £250 damage deposit - leaving them well out of pocket.
The property is regularly rented out via Airbnb but on this occasion was booked via Instagram.
Mr Genesis said: 'It was so structured, before we emptied the house out the people who were there said "where do we go?".
'Guests had travelled from as far as London for it, so it was very, very calculated.
'It hit us - we seem like the bad guys, but at the same time it did ultimately hit us as well in the pocket.'
Those living nearby were left miffed by the chaos.
James Gartside, 80, and Jane Gartside, 84, have lived next door to the home for over 50 years, and remembered when it was previously owned by an older couple who had passed away.
The couple first realised something was brewing after they were asked to allow a party-goer to park in their driveway.
Mrs Gartside said: 'I think I knew it was going to be quite busy, you just got that feeling quite quickly.
'Nine o'clock one of the owners arrived and said "I'm sorry, this is what's happening" and said the police had been sent for. They got everybody out.'
She added: 'It was just that night was out of control, when the police came.
'They calmed it all down - there was no fighting or anything like that.
'We had a meeting, we went around, they invited us all around and everybody felt very upset.
'They were very apologetic.'
Mike Law lives on the other side of the property. He said: 'They did very well to disperse them, in my opinion. In a way it was a problem at the time, but it's not lasted.
'There were certainly more than 200 people, I would say, it was a nuisance - but we can be a nuisance to our next door neighbours.
'Nuisance, OK, yeah, danger and that sort of thing didn't come in to it, in my opinion.
'I didn't know how they were going to fit in there. Before the big masses came I did offer our drive to park on, but I think the owners learnt a lesson on it and will obviously improve it.'
Airbnb said it had looked in to the situation and found the booking had been made through a third party, with no reservations made for the property on its platform.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How social media is helping the far-right spread fear and hate
How social media is helping the far-right spread fear and hate

The Independent

time2 hours ago

  • The Independent

How social media is helping the far-right spread fear and hate

At around 5.30pm on 7 July, Essex Police officers were called to the High Street in Epping after receiving reports that a man was behaving inappropriately towards a teenage girl. Hadush Kebatu, 38, an asylum seeker from Ethiopia, allegedly tried to kiss a schoolgirl as she ate pizza and he has since been charged with three counts of sexual assault. But news that he had only arrived in the UK eight days earlier via a small boat quickly took hold on social media, sparking a series of protests that turned violent and thrusting the historic Essex town into the heart of an anti-immigration row. What started as a group of locals voicing their grievances outside the Bell Hotel, which is believed to house asylum seekers, has now escalated into what has been described as a 'powder keg situation', with fears it could prompt a wave of riots across the country, similar to those seen last summer. In the past two weeks, prominent leaders in neo-Nazi groups and far-right organisations have been accused of exploiting the situation by pivoting demonstrations towards violence, with some demanding a 'national call for action'. Their weapon of choice? Social media, which the far-right have long been known to harness as a tool to spread fear and hate. Several right-wing activists have rebranded themselves as citizen journalists or political commentators, helping them accrue millions of followers in the UK and across the globe. Joe Mulhall, of the charity Hope Not Hate, said that is dangerous at a time when misinformation online spreads quickly and can whip up tensions. 'It's deeply concerning that a rumour or allegation can spread so quickly and take hold. Last year in Southport, misinformation from influencers like Andrew Tate spread like wildfire about the ethnicity and nationality of the perpetrator of the awful murders. 'When misinformation spreads, it can legitimise existing biases and as a rumour or allegation takes hold, things can quickly move offline.' Among those who have set up the private Facebook page Epping Says No, which advertises the protests, are three members of the group Homeland. Founded in 2023 after splitting from neo-Nazi group Patriotic Alternative, it has been described as the largest fascist group in the UK. This week, one of its prominent members has shared several videos of the protests on social media, and has called for future action, urging: 'If you live in an area that has a hotel occupied by asylum seekers, start organising.' Members of other groups, including former neo-Nazi terror group Combat 18, the British National Party and the Patriots of Britain, have also been spotted at the demonstrations. Mr Mullhall warned that with over-worked and over-stretched police forces, racist and anti-immigration rhetoric online can often fall under the radar. He said the UK 'needs to be ahead of the curve' to clamp down on this activity. 'Tracking these comments and the individuals responsible is tricky,' he said. 'The far-right are no longer divided into neat groupings but are instead thousands of people posting videos outside migrant accommodation, posting rumours and making comments online. 'Gone are the days when the police or social media companies can simply deplatform a particular group to resolve this issue.' Since Elon Musk 's takeover of X, formerly known as Twitter, the platform has changed significantly, with the Tesla founder reportedly tweaking its algorithms and removing its fact-checking mechanisms. This included turning the platform into a pro-Maga Trump echo chamber in the run-up to last year's US presidential elections, and reinstating previously banned figures such as Tommy Robinson and Katie Hopkinson. For Hope Not Hate, it has become a visible and concerning trend to see US figures commenting on UK politics and societal issues, boosting far-right voices, such as those of anti-Islam activist Robinson, who has hinted he will be in attendance at an Epping protest on Sunday. Mr Mullhall said: "The far right has changed dramatically and ironically, knows no borders. What we're seeing now is key figures emerging online. We're no longer looking at organisations but key people who emerge during a time of crisis. 'The far right is international, they move around and they move in pacts and trying to find any weakness. They have no formal leader; there's no single leader, it's like they're a group of fish that move around the internet exploiting situations. 'It is no surprise that we've seen a rise in far-right activity in the UK, US and Europe – these groups and ideas are interconnected.' Dr Karen Middleton, from the University of Portsmouth, who has been an expert witness in the UK government's inquiry into social media, misinformation, and harmful algorithms, said the recent protests in Epping were 'in many ways, a continuation of the riots from last year'. She said: 'Sensationalist and polarising content gathers more clicks, gathers more engagement, so there is a systemic incentive for spreading misinformation online.' She urged large social media platforms to go much further in addressing the spread of misinformation, but warned this was not about limiting free speech. 'This is about taking responsibility for published information that is online that goes to a large number of people, and is very often spread by people with high profiles,' she said. A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs Council (NPSCC) said communities had a part to play in halting the spread of misinformation and urged people to 'carefully consider' what they read, share, and trust online to avoid stoking tensions. 'We would encourage the public to access formal authorities for accurate information. The spread of disinformation and misinformation by individuals or groups can significantly contribute to community tensions and has real-world implications. We all have a responsibility in this respect, and relevant criminal law applies to online actions,' they added. They also called on social media companies to be vigilant to the spread of false information and to 'ensure harmful content is detected, challenged and removed in a timely manner'.

Spacey told actor ‘don't worry about it' after alleged assault, documents claim
Spacey told actor ‘don't worry about it' after alleged assault, documents claim

The Independent

time2 hours ago

  • The Independent

Spacey told actor ‘don't worry about it' after alleged assault, documents claim

Kevin Spacey allegedly sexually assaulted a young actor at a party at The Savoy hotel and then told him 'Don't worry about it', court documents for the High Court legal claim suggest. Ruari Cannon is suing Mr Spacey as well as two organisations connected to the Old Vic Theatre in London, claiming he suffered psychiatric damage as a result of sexual and emotional abuse. The 33-year-old has waived his anonymity in the claim. In court documents seen by the PA news agency, Mr Cannon alleges that Mr Spacey, who was a 'powerful figure and a world-famous actor and celebrity' at the time, assaulted him in about June 2013, when he was 'a very vulnerable young man'. Oscar-winning actor Mr Spacey has previously denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour and wrongdoing, and details of his defence are not yet available. According to the documents, filed in June, Mr Spacey was working as artistic director at the Old Vic Theatre at the time of the alleged assaults on a production of a play by Tennessee Williams known as Sweet Bird Of Youth, and Mr Cannon was a member of the cast in this production. They claim that Mr Spacey 'took a particular interest' in Mr Cannon for 'reasons of sexual interest' and sent him a 'lavish' gift of a framed poster of the 1985 production of the play directed by Harold Pinter. After the press preview of the show on June 12 2013, Mr Cannon attended a party at The Savoy in London organised by The Old Vic Theatre Company (The Cut) and The Old Vic Theatre Trust 2000. It is claimed that one of the alleged assaults took place at the event. Setting out the allegations, Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel KC, for Mr Cannon, said: 'Kevin Spacey pulled the claimant towards him, turned him around through 45 degrees and placed his left hand on the claimant's buttocks and lifted up the recess material of his suit.' It is alleged that Mr Spacey then pushed Mr Cannon's underwear 'as far up' into his bottom as possible, 'so as to cause pain and distress'. Ms Gumbel added: 'Mr Kevin Spacey pulled the claimant closer to him and whispered into the claimant's ear 'Don't worry about it'. 'Mr Spacey made more uncalled for and unwelcome advances to the claimant during the evening.' The following day, Mr Cannon reported the alleged assaults to his stage manager at the Old Vic Theatre, but no action was taken. According to the documents, it is accepted that Mr Cannon did not ask for any action to be taken, and was scared about how any further action might affect his career. Later that year, during the run of the show, Mr Cannon saw Mr Spacey at the Old Vic bar. Mr Spacey allegedly said to him, 'I hear you have a dirty secret', and then said: 'Open up.' Ms Gumbel said: 'Kevin Spacey then forced open the claimant's mouth with his fingers and thumbs and commented 'quite a bad boy' before the claimant could pull away. 'The claimant then left the bar. The forcing open of the claimant's mouth was another assault for which Kevin Spacey was responsible and for which the second and/or third defendants were vicariously liable. 'Further in 2017 when the Old Vic set up a confidential complaints email on October 31 2017 the claimant reported the above complaint again to the Old Vic.' She added that the alleged assaults were carried out by Mr Spacey in the course of his work for the organisations connected to the Old Vic, and they are 'vicariously liable' for the alleged assaults carried out in the context of a theatre production.

Jay Slater's pal reveals chilling last text she sent him before he died as key witness ‘unwilling to give evidence'
Jay Slater's pal reveals chilling last text she sent him before he died as key witness ‘unwilling to give evidence'

Scottish Sun

time2 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

Jay Slater's pal reveals chilling last text she sent him before he died as key witness ‘unwilling to give evidence'

Scroll down to read the latest on the Jay Slater inquest JAY EVIDENCE Jay Slater's pal reveals chilling last text she sent him before he died as key witness 'unwilling to give evidence' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JAY Slater's close pal has revealed the last chilling text she sent him before he died - as a key witness is "unwilling to give evidence" on his death. The Brit made a heartbreaking final call to Lucy Mae Law, 20, saying he had cut his leg, was lost and dehydrated just before Jay vanished last year. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 The inquest into the death of Jay Slater is set to continue today Credit: Pixel8000 5 Jay's pal Lucy Law - one of the last people to him alive in Tenerife - is giving evidence Credit: Instagram 5 Jay's mum Debbie Duncan arriving at Preston Coroner's Court Credit: CHRIS NEILL Lucy made several revelations as she spoke to the Slater family barrister - including what the pair's final text said. The coroner read out a message Lucy sent Jay that read: "Go back to wherever the f*** you have just come from before it gets boiling." She also believes that Jay gave no indication that he was in trouble or had a bad experience at the Airbnb where he spent his final hours. But during their final phone call at around 8.30am, Jay did tell her he didn't know where he was and that he "couldn't go back". Lucy added that Jay's decision making may have been impaired due to the alcohol and drugs he had taken the night before. Lucy and Bradley Geoghegan, friends Jay was on holiday with, and Ayub Qassim and Steven Roccas, who Jay went to the Airbnb with, all failed to attend the first inquest hearing in May. An emotional plea from Debbie to trace them and compel them to give evidence prompted coroner Dr James Adeley to postpone the inquest until today. But staff at the coroner's office said they have been unable to make contact with another witness - Brandon Hodgson. The family's barrister Lois Norris said Hodgson "appeared unwilling to give evidence" from a message thread. Efforts to contact Stevcen Roccas were also unsuccessful. Apprentice bricklayer Jay flew to the Spanish island last June to attend the NRG music festival in Playa de las Americas with two friends, Lucy and Brad. After a night of partying on June 17, the teen, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, travelled to an Airbnb apartment in Masca with two men - Qassim and Roccas. Evidence heard during the inquest suggested that after Jay left the Airbnb and failed to get a bus or taxi, he attempted to walk back to his own apartment before falling from a height into a ravine. A huge search was launched before his body was found in a steep and inaccessible area, near the village of Masca, on July 15. 5 Ayub Qassim, who Jay went back to the Airbnb with, is giving evidence via videolink at today's inquest 5 Lucy's evidence today came after Brad spoke to the court - and convicted drug dealer Qassim gave his side of the story. Qassim, one of the final people to see Jay alive, addressed the hearing via videolink from another country. Preston Coroner's Court today heard how Jay had taken drugs and drank alcohol on a night out before his death. Friend Bradley said Jay had taken ecstasy pills and cocaine, and possibly ketamine. He told the coroner that Jay had been forced to leave a club as he was drunk, and decided to go to an Airbnb with two men they had met on holiday. The next morning, Jay called Bradley while walking along a road after leaving the Airbnb and was "still under the influence" according to his friend. Bradley said he told Jay to get a taxi as it was a 14-hour walk back, but Jay said he would call him back. The next witness, Ayub Qassim, said he and his friend Steven Roccas met Jay while in Tenerife. He said Jay had asked if he could go back with them to their Airbnb, which he then drove them to in the early hours of June 17th. The coroner asked whether about whether Jay had stolen a watch after two Snapchat messages appeared to reference an expensive watch being taken But Qassim insisted Jay had not stolen a watch, and suggested he could have just been boasting to friends. Qassim told the hearing there had been no altercations at the Airbnb, and that Jay chose to leave in the morning despite saying he would give him a lift back to his apartment later in the day. A hearing in May heard how a post-mortem concluded Jay suffered a heavy fall from height and the devastating effects would have been immediate. The inquest is due to resume tomorrow, where coroner Dr James Adeley will sum up his findings. Scroll down to read the latest on the Jay Slater inquest...

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store