Poo, paint thrown at war vet’s house
A GOLD Coast war veteran is living in fear after repeated attacks on his Paradise Point home.
Incidents include hate mail, faeces smeared on his windows, paint thrown on his driveway and an accusation of meal poisoning.
Frederick Griffiths, 97, has lived in his Paradise Point home for 40 years and said harassment was now keeping him awake at night.
“I’m terrified of what could happen next, it’s greatly affecting my life,” he said yesterday.
“I’m an old man and I don’t want to go to my grave leaving this unresolved.
“It’s very upsetting and very draining to have these things happening to me.”
Police have confirmed they are investigating an incident in which faeces was smeared on Mr Griffiths’ sliding door, but he has also reported other harassment to police on seven separate occasions.
They include incidents in which poison was thrown on his front lawn, letters were stolen from his letter box, someone was banging loudly on his window late at night, and white paint was poured on his driveway, costing him $480 to repair.
He said someone had been hired to rip up his garden, to pour concrete and establish a two-metre fence across the window, which he said brought up painful memories.
“Two front end loaders and a big skip arrived, took off all my pebbles, two big rocks and cleared my front side garden,” he said.
“Two men measured up and came along with railings and put the fence there, which was pretty terrible to me.
“I’d been in an air raid in England and it was terrifying – the worst ever I think.’’
Mr Griffiths has since had the fence removed.
Fighting back tears, Mr Griffiths said he had seen “little children at a school clinging to a similar fence while their school was burning – they hadn’t been evacuated.”
A police spokeswoman said investigations were continuing on the faeces smear but could not confirm the other alleged police reports of harassment.
“It feels like someone is trying to push me out,” Mr Griffiths said.
He said people had asked him to sell sell to them but he had said no.
“Then things started to happen,’’ he said.
The former army mechanic, who served for two years in North Africa in World War II and in postsurrender Germany, said the attacks made him fearful and on edge in his own home.
In April the council had to step in to help when someone kept parking motorhomes outside his duplex and blocking his view. Mr Griffiths had explained that all he wanted at his age was to be able to gaze out his window at the Broadwater and the boats.
Area councillor Cameron Caldwell told the Bulletin at the time the council would paint yellow lines on the kerb outside, making it illegal to park there.
Mr Griffiths’ only son, Dr Grant Griffiths, lives in Sydney but has kept a detailed log of alleged harassment.
“Last year, some form of poison was thrown on to the lawn and hedge causing rapid die-off,” he said. “A bottle of white paint was thrown on to the driveway on June 29 and reported to police.”
Dr Griffiths’ log includes an incident in 2016 when someone phoned Meals on Wheels at Paradise Point and complained his father should not receive meals because he “wasn’t old enough’’ – despite him being 95 at the time. Then, in July 2017, a lid was loose on one of his meals and he became ill after eating it. Fearing attempted poisoning, police were called and investigated.
Police recommended that from then on, frozen sealed meals should be delivered directly into Mr Griffiths’ hands each week.
Mr Griffiths told the Bulletin this week he would not be pushed out of his home of 40 years, estimated to be worth around $700,000.
He said he had fought in one war and would fight “in another until the end’’.
IT’S VERY UPSETTING AND VERY DRAINING TO HAVE THESE THINGS HAPPENING TO ME FREDERICK GRIFFITHS