A gang reportedly asked a man to pay for protection for him and his family on a derelict housing estate.
People living on Primrose Court in Huyton are scared to go outside due to daily threats of violence and racial abuse. Khaled Baleid, 59, was left with a broken nose and two black eyes after recently being attacked on his driveway with a metal pole.
The amount of empty homes on Primrose Court have also become a target for arson and fly-tipping in recent years, with rubbish piled high in back gardens and outside in the street. A TikTok of the derelict housing estate went viral in January and was viewed more than five million times in the space of 24 hours.
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Khaled said the amount of crime in the area has gotten worse in recent months at the hands of a gang who have asked him for money in exchange for protection on a number of occasions, despite him refusing to do so.
Khaled said the gang regularly shout racist abuse at him and his wife, adding: "[They say] 'we're going to smash your windows you f***ing p***.' You have to pay us if you want to live in this area.'
"They say we have to protect you from people, they will burn your house down. I refused and after that they start being racist [saying] 'we're going to burn your house down'.
"Why should someone come to your house and threaten you? What have we done for this? We are good innocent people. We told them to just leave us alone. I just want them to stay away from me and we respect each other."
CCTV footage shows the moment Khaled was attacked on his driveway on May 30, the day after shots were fired with an air rifle at his home. A 17-year-old boy from Liverpool was charged with criminal damage, intimidating a witness, racially aggravated criminal damage and wounding and inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent.
He appeared at Merseyside Youth Remand Court on Thursday morning and was remanded into custody.
Khaled said: "I don't feel safe but at the same time I'm willing to fight for my rights even if they kill me because I have nowhere to go. Recently I got my British nationally, I just got my British passport, I just want to live in peace.
"I don't want someone to come and assault me in my house."
One man, who lives in the area but did not want to be named due to safety fears, told the ECHO: "I'm scared to go outside here. If I have to go outside or go to the supermarket I tell my wife to call me after some time to check if anything has happened."
After being contacted by the ECHO this week, Merseyside Police said it was carrying out a day of action on Primrose Court on Friday 10 June to target serious violence and hate crime.
A police spokesperson said: "The day of action follows recent reports of serious violence taking place in the area and aims to reassure any vulnerable victims and prevent further criminal damage, racial abuse or anti-social behaviour."
When the problems first started
The problems with Primrose Court appear to have started when the development was first built by two private companies who went bust before work on site was completed. This means key elements such as street lighting and ‘proper kerbs’ have not been installed on the road.
And because the road is unadopted, the duty to maintain it belongs to the owners of the properties. One man, who also lives in the area and asked to remain anonymous, said the lack of street lighting attracts criminal activity at night.
The man said people are also making money off fly-tipping in the area and dumping the rubbish in the gardens of the empty houses, adding: "They make a lot of money from that and that's why they don't want people moving in there because once people move in they can't do it anymore.
"To be honest when I'm going home I don't feel comfortable. I feel unsafe."
What action was taken by Knowsley Council
In December 2020, Knowsley Council told the ECHO: "Funding has been secured from the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership and will be used to tackle arson in the area through improved lighting and CCTV."
When asked for an update on this funding a year later, a council spokesperson said: "In advance of CCTV being installed, further funding is needed to regenerate the area and we are continuing to work with our partners to explore potential funding sources."
In a further update this week, Knowsley Council said it has now submitted a bid for £350,000 from the Home Office's Safer Streets Fund to help tackle the issues of highways, street lighting and CCTV in the area.
A Knowsley Council spokesperson said: “The Council and partners are working with local residents to address the issues. Last month, the Council (through the Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner) submitted a £350,000 bid to the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund.
"The fund supports interventions aimed at tackling neighbourhood crime, anti-social behaviour and improve the safety of public spaces. The funding would help to tackle a number of issues including highways, street lighting and CCTV. A decision from the Home Office on this funding bid is expected later this month.”
What Merseyside Police had to say
Inspector Mark Berry said: “Today [Friday, June 10] will see our officers from across the force, with representatives from the Police Crime Commissioner’s office, Knowsley council and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service working together to showcase what they do, the benefits they bring to the public and our strong stance on hate crime.
“We take hate crime very seriously and our mobile police station will be based at the Old Roundabout shop engaging with local people and handing out information about the 'Stop Hate UK' campaign. We will also have police horses and traffic reinforcement on the estate to increase our high visibility and presence in the area.
“By providing this active visible policing presence we aim to stop any vandalism, racial abuse and act on any intelligence we receive. If you have any information about those involved in crime in the area please contact police so we can take action, identify offenders and bring them to justice.”
If you would like to report something to us, please DM us @MerPolCC or contact @CrimestoppersUK anonymously.
