Police step up search for street’s golf ball bandit
Police are one step closer to catching a mystery attacker who has been firing golf balls at one particular street.
For the last two months families in Trellyn Close, Barming, have been victims of the flying missiles, which have hit a woman twice and narrowly missed children playing outside. They also hit a car, a van, smashed a greenhouse and broken a shed window.
Residents were frustrated with the lack of support from police after numerous calls were made but nobody came out to investigate. Steff Plester, who lives along the road, said at the time: ““I just want the police to come out, take some statements and knock on some doors, there is no presence in the area.”
Since the Kent Messenger covered the story in last week’s edition officers have been out making door-to-door enquiries and believe they have found the area the balls are being hit from. Ms Plester added: “Police have now been out and I went out in a car with them for three hours and I showed them where I thought they were coming from. “I handed everything I had to them and they linked it together at the station. The officers who came out were very good and very enthusiastic.
“The best thing I did was ring the Kent Messenger.”
However, Malcolm Austin, who lives opposite Ms Plester, said he hasn’t heard from police at all. The 65-year-old said: “For me the golf balls have stopped at the moment but that could just mean the people are on holiday because nobody has been caught.
“The police haven’t contacted us at all and it was my wife who has been hit.
“I only know from Steff that they have been round because they didn’t talk to me.
“I still walk out worried about it because the culprits haven’t been caught”
The grandfather-of-seven added he was pleased the attacks had stopped for now and believes it could be down to the press coverage.
“I am happy it has stopped, whether its because it is all in the press I don’t know but if they had half a brain they might have read it and stopped.
“Kent Messenger did a great job on telling our story.”
Police inspector Mark Hedges, of the Maidstone Community Safety Unit, said: “We have visited the area and spoken to a number of residents by carrying out house-to-house enquiries. “Our officers have identified an area where the golf balls are likely to have been struck from and at this stage we have no reason to believe there is any malicious intent.
“We will, however, continue to deploy patrols in the area and are also asking parents to remind young people who may be playing ball games to do so responsibly and in the appropriate locations.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 01622 604100, quoting 46/130856/19.