A night porter who smashed up a hotel to "teach the owners a lesson" has avoided jail.

Edward Woods went berserk while on duty at Larkfield Priory Hotel on Sunday, July 25, last year.

The 50-year-old admitted causing around £94,000 worth of damage after destroying 21 windows, six doors, two fridges, an oven, breakfast table and three beer pumps.

Appearing at Maidstone Crown Court last week, and representing himself due to barrister strikes, he was handed a 16-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.

In the early hours he went on the rampage with a metal bracket, destroying computer screens and Covid barriers belonging to Larkfield Priory Hotel.

Woods, of Buckland Hill, Maidstone, revealed the outburst came out of sheer frustration over how he and his colleagues were being treated, but says the damage was closer to £44,000 rather than £94,000.

Speaking to KentOnline after the court hearing, he said: "I didn't intend to do it, but it was a build up of loads of things.

"I was bullied, we all was, and I just lost it. The way we were treated it would have been someone else if I hadn't have erupted."

The venue in London Road, Larkfield, has since closed, but Woods, who now works as a groundwork labourer, hopes his outburst has had an effect.

"I hope it's taught the owners a lesson," he said.

"Hopefully they don't treat people like that again. I don't want them treating people like they did.

"I do regret doing it, but hopefully it has taught them a lesson."

The Maidstone man said the year-long court ordeal had been "stressful and tiring" and he chose to represent himself rather than have the hearing adjourned until the end of September.

He said: "It was a really lenient sentence, and I am grateful. But I think the court took into account everything I had said about a build of frustration."

Woods said the reaction was completely out of character after being forced to do jobs he wasn’t trained for and being warned for refusing to charge NHS workers £1 to use a lunch plate during the height of the Covid crisis.

He was a live-in night porter at the venue – but says he was asked to cover for other roles and sometimes had to double-up as a chef, none of which he was trained for.

In October last year Woods appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court and pleaded guilty to criminal damage to property over the value of £5,000, as well as admitting causing £2,500 of damage to a 2021-plate Ford Fiesta belonging to hotel manager Prasanna Kirubakaran.

Woods disputed the original £94,000 costs reported by the hotel.

He was told to pay £250 court costs but avoided paying any compensation.

The hotel has been approached for comment.