Councillor targeted by vandals

A north-east councillor has been left feeling “shaken and jumpy” after a plant pot was thrown through her window in what she believes is an escalating campaign against her.

Gillian Owen was rudely awoken by the sound of smashing glass at 5am yesterday and discovered a “huge” potted plant in her porch and a smashed pane of glass.

Police are investigating the attack on the Ellon home of the outspoken Conservative chairwoman of the local authority’s education committee.

Gordon MP Colin Clark said it was a “deplorable and cowardly” act.

Voicing her anger last night, Mrs Owen said she felt she was the victim of a six-month campaign of abuse by “unknown individuals”. The community stalwart, first elected as a councillor in 2007, said: “I’m bitterly disappointed that this has happened.

“I work really hard for Ellon and for this to happen – well it’s just mindless.

“It looks like they have tried at first with a small flower pot, but then had to find a much bigger one to break the window.

“The place is in such a mess – and it’s destroyed a plant that I inherited from my grandfather.” Explaining that the family home has been under attack before, Mrs Owen said she had resorted to phoning the police “a few times” in the last six months.

A police spokeswoman confirmed that they had visited Mrs Owen yesterday about an alleged act of vandalism and that their inquiries were continuing.

The damage caused after the early-morning attack