A LOWESTOFT man has been convicted of organising an illegal rave, which attracted about 200 people to a site near Beccles.

Sam Reeder who pleaded guilty when he appeared at Great Yarmouth Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The court was told thousands of pounds of equipment were seized by police at the July 14 rave at Gillingham.

Reeder, 21, of Briar Close, had an estimated �12,000 worth of speakers, generators, amplifiers and electrical wiring seized by police at the event held in a quarry at Hill Farm, off Yarmouth Road.

Another man invovled in the rave Josh Mayne, 24, of Glebe Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, had �800 worth of turntables confiscated from him.

Reeder and Mayne pleaded guilty to a charge of committing unauthorised licensable activity under the Licensing Act 2003, after the court heard the rave attracted about 200 people and caused 'extensive damage to property'.

They were also each given a two-year conditional discharge, ordered to pay �150 compensation to the farmer and �85 costs.

The pair asked magistrates to let them keep the equipment, but their request was turned down.

Chairman of the bench Paula Brown, sentencing, said she would not impose a fine as the loss of equipment was 'the bigger punishment'.

The court heard that Reeder had sent text messages to a large number of people, saying 'the number for the Norfolk party is' followed by a mobile telephone number, and 'keep it off Facebook...pass on to safe ravers.'

It also read 'see you rigside' – a reference to the large set-up of speakers and amplifiers used to play loud music, known as a 'rig'.

Gary Mayle, prosecuting, said that when asked by police if the turntables were his, Mayne said: 'It would be pretty hard to have a party without them.'

Items seized included also included 18 speakers, five electrical power generators and four 'disco light projectors'.

Calvin Saker, mitigating, said the defendants organised frequent legal music events in Norfolk which benefited local youths – on one occasion raising money for cancer research – which would be made harder to do by the loss of equipment.

He said that they had not realised the quarry was owned by the farmer, and had put the illegal event on 'with the best intentions at heart', and in memory of a deceased friend.

A third man arrested at the rave, Sean Fraser, 25, of Kilby Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, pleaded not guilty to a charge of taking a Mercedes Sprinter van without the owners' consent and was bailed to appear before magistrates again on November 5.