A man has been sentenced to a year in prison for his destructive drunken rampage through a Hobart hotel which caused almost $50,000 damage.
James Michael Fitzgerald, 46, entered the lobby of Hotel Collins on September 14, 2014 and ordered a coffee, before taking an elevator to upper levels where he opened the water valves on fire hydrants on a number of floors.
During sentencing on Thursday, Tasmanian Supreme Court Justice Alan Blow detailed the havoc caused by Fitzgerald, who was "very drunk" at the time.
"Water started to flood down the fire stairs and into various areas inside and outside the hotel," the judge said.
"At one point, the water was up to the manager's waist."
The fire alarm went off and all 46 guests had to evacuate before being moved to other hotels for the night.
Fitzgerald was found on the eighth floor where he had smashed a television and used a wine bottle to smash an exit sign.
He was restrained by hotel staff and later arrested.
Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to three vandalism-related charges and along with his jail sentence, was ordered to pay the damage bill of $47,046.
"But it seems unlikely that Mr Fitzgerald will ever have the means to pay any significant amount by way of compensation," Justice Blow said.
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