Woman forced to spend £3k to protect herself as 'hellish' kids kicking down door
A former schoolteacher in Derby has had to dig into her retirement fund and spend £3,000 on security measures at her home after being harassed by youths.
Unruly youngsters have made Alicia Vernon’s life a nightmare after she moved into the Stockbrook area of the city a couple of years ago, reports Derbyshire Live.
They have been kicking her front door, knocking and running, and even opening it before scarpering, and now the the 57-year-old has been forced to shell out on a heavier new door and CCTV.
With no firm evidence, police have been unable to do anything about the attacks, but now Mrs Vernon, along with her husband Paul Stone, is hoping her new investment will discourage the cowardly strikes to her property or at least catch the culprits in action.
She said: “It’s cost me dearly. It’s taken a big chunk of my retirement money.
Man in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probe
“I have ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis), which means I only have a certain amount of energy – all of my energy has had to go on dealing with this. It’s been hellish.”
Derby resident Alicia Vernon had to spend £3,000 on CCTV and a new doorDue to medical issues, she could not teach for more than a few hours and as a result had to rely on multiple businesses for income
When the pandemic hit, these faltered and she found herself unable to maintain the mortgage on her previous house so sold up and moved to Stockbrook after hearing glowing reviews about the area.
But just days after the couple had moved in, there was a huge crash on their lightweight PVC front door.
“My heart just went in my mouth,” said Mrs Vernon. “I thought we were being attacked.
“I looked out and there was a lad disappearing off down the road. Then it happened again.
“Paul went off after him waving his fist. It happened several times.”
Flykicking continued until one instance left a boot mark on the door and a hairline fracture in the plastic.
The pair contacted the police with some video footage Paul had caught of the delinquents on his mobile phone, but it wasn’t clear enough for identification.
They asked the local pub for CCTV footage, but it was too long-winded a process to be successful. Then they got in touch with the headteacher at a nearby school, who made it clear in assemblies that such behaviour was unacceptable.
Russian model killed after calling Putin a 'psychopath' was strangled by her ex
But fearing the problems would continue, Mrs Vernon paid £2,400 to have a new, heavier door fitted and £520 to have CCTV cameras professionally installed at the front and back of her property so that they abided by regulations.
Mrs Vernon, whose illness led her to retire early, spent a hefty chunk of her retirement fund on the work.
She said: “I only get a small amount per month. All of my other money has gone to try and provide security and sort out the terrible situation which has been happening around me.”
She added: “All the neighbours around me that have been here a long time say that this was a lovely area.
“It’s gone downhill. I think it’s shocking now, really bad.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
