A married couple who fled a Top Valley street after being terrorised by teenagers have called their ordeal “hell.” Months later, they are still living in fear.
Whitcombe Gardens and the surrounding streets has been plagued by anti-social behaviour. One couple, who moved from the area in March had had their property vandalised, broken into, personal items set alight and an incident where one of them was allegedly threatened with a knife.
The married couple who wish to remain anonymous have moved to another area of Nottingham. They do not want to disclose where they live in fear of being harassed again by the same group of teenagers.
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The husband and wife have been married for 8 years and told Nottinghamshire Live about their ordeal. Speaking through tears, the woman said: “In January, my husband's car got smashed. From then, they [the group of teenagers] every 3 to 4 days were hitting stones at our windows.
“We have 2 dogs so we have to keep our garden secure and the group had smashed our gate, we were so scared for the dogs. We had wheelie bins thrown over our fence and one was so close to hitting one of our dogs.”
She said the group of teenagers was a mix of male and females. The group was mostly made up of males.
Bricks and stones were some of the items thrown at the couple's property. The married couple are now both on antidepressants after their ordeal.
The woman, 39, has mobility issues, and said she has lost her passion for things she enjoyed like baking. She said: “I had collapsed one night and had a seizure, my dogs had got out and I was so scared. The week before we moved out in March, my husband had been threatened with a knife.”
In total, the couple had reported many incidents to the police. There were a total of over 20 incidents reported.
One night after calling the police, 3 police vans and 2 police cars arrived. None of the group of teenagers have ever been identified.
Due to the estate having no CCTV, it was said that there was nothing the police could do. The woman’s husband, 47 added: “When we were put into temporary housing, our stuff was still in our house. They got into the shed and burned everything.
"The house was broken into and our stuff were put out and set on fire. It was like a bomb had hit, there was glass everywhere.”
The TV was stolen along with a computer, CDs, tools and Dvds. Amongst things saved in the fire was a few bookshelves.
The woman continued: “I lost my baby in 2008, all I had left was ruined and I can’t get it back. I don’t want to be like this person who's scared to go out constantly, I never used to be like that.
“I used to enjoy walking the dogs around the block and going out. I’m still really jumpy, the dogs are too. If we drop something in the kitchen, the dog jumps.
“I still have nightmares about it all. I can't see the light at the end of tunnel. Before this, we were happy." On the days when the group of teenagers were nowhere to be seen the woman’s husband said: “Every little bang made us jump, I’m 47 now, I don’t want to go through this again. I just want peace and quiet.”
In surrounding streets, neighbours have spoken out about the antisocial behaviour in the area. Jessica Lee, 38 told Nottinghamshire Live: “Luckily, I’ve never been targeted but I do know that it does happen.
“You see a lot of those community protection officers down in Top Valley but I know that a lot of people don’t feel safe.”
The sales assistant who’s lived in the area for 7 years continued and said: “With all the alleyways in the area, it’s easy for kids to just get away, they don’t realise how much of an impact their actions have on people who live in the area.”
Jeff Doores, 69 has lived in Top Valley for many years. Now retired, Jeff said: “Early afternoon, evening and night are the times when it’s [the antisocial behaviour] at its worst. It’s awful. Children are just running riot, left to their own devices and then people are left wanting to move or being scared.”
Sergeant Katie Taylor, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We are aware of multiple incidents that have been reported to us in Whitcombe Gardens, Top Valley, throughout January and March and have worked continually with the residents to keep them updated with our investigations and the work we are doing including increasing patrols in the area.
“We understand the impact antisocial behaviour can have on a person, family and a neighbourhood and treat all reports extremely seriously and that is why we are doing everything we can to clamp down on incidents and target areas we know are causing concern for residents.
“We continue to carry out operations across the Top Valley and Bestwood area, working with partners including the city council, patrolling the streets and also engaging with people of all ages in the community.
“This week on Wednesday (6 July) we are joining our partners at Nottingham City Council in taking part in a day of action and will be there giving advice, carrying out free mobility scooter security marking, educating people on vehicle checks and most importantly being there to speak to anyone who has any concerns and would like to talk to an officer.
“I would urge anyone who is a victim of any crime, including antisocial behaviour, to report any incidents as quickly as possible by calling us on 101. If a crime is in progress or if it’s an emergency call 999.”
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