An unemployed Brighton protester was asked to pay the whole cost of damage to a bank damaged in the G20 protests this morning.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was caught red-handed smashing computer equipment inside the Royal Bank of Scotland in Threadneedle Street.

She admitted following friends into the branch after its windows were smashed and joining them as they damaged property during angry demonstrations on April 1.

The cost of the damage, including three broken plate glass windows and several pieces of computer hardware, was estimated at £40,000, West London Youth Court heard today.

Prosecutor Ann Crighton said the bank wanted to recover its losses from the teenage environmental activist.

But her solicitor, Miranda Ching, said the Scottish-born teenager, who lives in Brighton, is unemployed, does not claim benefits and lives on hand-outs from friends and family.

She said: "RBS have gone for compensation in the sum of £40,000. In my view, this is wholly unjustified.

"It may well be that a substantial amount of criminal damage was caused as a whole by other people on April 1.

"We must look at what my client is charged with and that is IT equipment.

"That seems to be, at most, one computer keyboard and one computer monitor."

The teenager was sentenced to an eight-month referral order which may include a smaller sum of compensation, a letter of apology and an agreement not to commit further crimes.