Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
‘Mindless thugs’ attack car used for disabled girl
Exclusive ‘To intentionally target a vehicle which is clearly parked within a disabled bay and therefore required for a disabled person, is despicable’
A mum is to protect her home with CCTV after bricks were thrown at her car while it was parked in a disabled bay overnight.
Kerry-anne Hatcher says the vandalism has left her and her family feeling uneasy about living in Bridge.
The 41-year-old care consultant says she and her husband Adrian moved to the High Street in 2011 because it was a safe and quiet place to bring up their children.
But the attack overnight on Saturday was the third they have suffered, leaving them questioning whether they will remain in the village with their 11-year-old son and two-year-old daughter, who is disabled.
“This mindless thuggery, and the fact that the car cannot be driven, is a huge inconvenience,” Mrs Hatcher said.
“It has also left us feeling uneasy about the area we live in and raising our two children here.
“When we moved here six years ago, we thought the village was quiet and safe, and were quite satisfied with the assumption that not much happened here.
“However, since then we have been the victims of criminal damage three times for just parking outside our home.”
In the early hours on Sunday, bricks from a neighbour’s wall were dislodged and hurled at the back of the family’s Range Rover, damaging the boot, rear spoiler and windscreen wiper.
Another stone slab was thrown at the front windscreen.
“There is thousands of pounds worth of damage,” Mrs Hatcher said.
“Thankfully we are insured but it will be our claim and that is an unwanted cost.
“Because we don’t have CCTV at the moment, the police cannot really do much and the vandals will probably not be caught.”
The Hatchers now hope to install CCTV on the outside of their house.
“We intend to capture the High Street where we park our car in order to be pro-active against this antisocial behaviour and hopefully put an end to the heartless attacks,” Mrs Hatcher said.
“Obviously any criminal damage of this type is senseless and contemptible but to intentionally target a vehicle which is clearly parked within a disabled bay and therefore required for a disabled person, is despicable.
“I really hope we are not being targeted and that this is just a spate of bad luck in us being the victim.”
Anyone with information should call police on 01843 222289, quoting reference ZY/009792/17.