Parents step in after cinema vandalism

Six seats at a Ryde cinema have been ripped out for the second time, as groups of teenagers continue to cause what staff describe as “constant chaos” over recent weeks. The damage at the Leo Leisure Commodore Cinema left manager, Amelia Ball, “at her wit’s end”, prompting her to report the incidents to Police and issue a public plea to parents.

The anti‑social behaviour has included theft, sneaking into screens without paying, and disrupting film‑goers. In a Facebook post on Friday, Amelia said around three groups of teenagers had repeatedly targeted the venue. “A whole row of chairs has been ripped apart after just getting them fixed and just left all over the floor,” she wrote. “They aren’t cheap, and this isn’t funny.”

She added that the same groups had previously stolen stock and refused to leave when challenged, sometimes sprawling across the stairs to cause a scene. “It’s so disheartening and we are extremely fed up at this point,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that a few groups have to ruin it for everyone else.”

However, in a follow‑up post shared on Saturday, Amelia said the response from the community had been overwhelmingly positive. “So grateful for this community and the amount of amazing messages and comments we have received in the last 24 hours,” she wrote. She confirmed that two of the three sets of parents had already been in touch and were due to visit the cinema to resolve the issue, and had given her the name of the third set of parents.

Amelia said the support had been “incredible” and hoped the publicity would prompt conversations at home and help improve behaviour in the town. “People like you really do keep me going when things get hard,” she said. “I hope sharing what’s happened, not only found the parents, but encourages some conversations to be had… even if it stops just one group.”