THREE men broke into a Cwmbran golf club, caused £11,000 of damage and played golf with chocolate bars during "a very expensive form of drunken horseplay", a court heard.

One of them had no recollection of going to the club because he had taken drink and drugs and "wanted to die," Cardiff crown court heard.

Simon Lodder, aged 27, of Trem Tym Barlwm, Cwmbran; Lee Bowen, aged 30, of Pentwyn Heights, Pontypool and John O'Halloran, aged 26, of Winstone Road, Pontypool, had been convicted by Abergavenny magistrates of burglary of Greenmeadow Golf Club and committed to the crown court for sentence.

Each was sentenced at crown court to a community punishment order for 120 hours. In addition they were each ordered to pay £3,906 compensation and £100 prosecution costs.

Recorder Stephen Hopkins said they broke into the club to indulge in a "very expensive form of drunken horseplay".

Prosecutor David Warren said the men broke into the club on the night of May 26 after getting in through a cellar door and going to a driving range where cigarette machines and golf ball vending machines were damaged.

The damage came to £10,870 with £1,000 loss of profit. A person living nearby, said Mr Warren, called the police and they saw people running into a wood.

Bowen was found hiding in a tree at the 7th tee and O'Halloran was discovered by a police dog in a bush. Lodder was arrested as he walked out of the main entrance and tried to run off.

He said he had no recollection later of going there because he had taken drink and drugs "because he wanted to die."

O'Halloran admitted: "Doing the club over" and Bowen said he had been merely walking his dog.

Leighton Hughes, for Bowen, said the burglary was "bizarre." He added: "It was crazy, out of character and Bowen was mystified at to why it happened. It was a night of abject futility."

Clare Pickthall, for O'Halloran, said the whole offence had been meaningless, and oddly they played golf with bars of chocolate in the bar.