‘We’re too scared to live in our house’

FAMILY SAY THEY’VE BEEN TORMENTED BY TEEN GANG BUT HAD NO HELP FROM POLICE

A MUM says her family ‘live in fear’ and are ‘scared to go to sleep’ after being terrorised by a gang of teens.

The attacks started after the Oldham mum, who wishes to remain anonymous, confronted a group of youths who damaged her car with a golf club.

Since then, she has been targeted a number of times, with eggs and stones thrown at her house and threats made to her and her family.

She now feels helpless after “useless” police failed to take action – despite her calling them 12 times, and even visiting a police station.

“It’s like a tower where you can’t get in,” she told the Manchester Evening News .

The mum lives in Higginshaw with her husband and daughter, and is scared for her family’s safety.

She says she first called the police on May 3 after the initial confrontation took place, but she was simply told to take her car to her friend’s.

“A group of teenagers passed our house with a golf club, and they threw it at my car and damaged it,” she said.

“So I picked up the golf club and said I won’t give it back because they damaged my car. Then they said they were going to smash my car completely, and they started to threaten me,” she said. “The very same day I called the police. One officer came by, and told me to take my car to my friend’s if I was worried. To me, that isn’t the solution.” She said that, just 15 minutes after the officer left, the group returned to her home and started to throw stones, which hit the house, and nearly hit her. “The first time they started throwing stones, I was standing next to my car,” she said, adding “the stone went right next to my head.”

The group returned the next night, and then again on multiple occasions over the following days and weeks. Each time, the mum called the police, but says she was never offered help. “We just want peace and quiet,” she told the M.E.N. “We don’t want any trouble. But we are terrified.

“We just paid off the mortgage. And now we can’t live here.” Superintendent Phil Hutchinson, of GMP’s Oldham district, said: “Delivering outstanding service to our communities is of the utmost importance to us and we recognise that members of the public, rightly, expect us to resolve criminal issues in a timely and effective manner.

“Since this issue was first reported to us, we have been working with the victim to secure the best possible outcome, which initially involved restorative justice. As the issue has persisted, we met with the victim earlier this week to discuss the most appropriate course of action.”

The first time they started throwing stones, I was standing next to my car... the stone went right next to my head