Spray paint vandalism epidemic hits town

Sian King, 23, of Mill Close, Hemel Hempstead, called the police after her partner David Whateley discovered the obscene word sprayed in black paint on the silver Peugeot 206, which was parked outside the couple’s home. The culprits had also slashed all four tyres and smashed the windscreen.

The incident is one of a string of approximately 10 which have occurred in the town over the past few weeks, including attacks on children, adults, animals and other vehicles.

Miss King, who has an 18-month-old son, said: “I was shocked when I first saw it. I’ve lived here for six years and never had any problems.

“They sprayed the swear word on the back of the car, as well as a number three, the words ‘hi’ and ‘lol’ and the letter F. It’s a totally random attack. There are much nicer cars than mine in the street. I don’t understand it.”

The silver 54-reg car’s number plate was also scribbled out with the spray paint, and care worker Miss King was forced put the £400 repair bill on her credit card after the overnight attack on March 3.

She said: “I rely on my car for work, and because I’m quite young, my excess is £450, so it was better to get it sorted without going through the insurance.

“I just want to warn other people that this sort of thing is happening.”

Miss King says she has heard other cars in Keiths Road and Barnacres Road in the Bennetts End area have also been targeted affected in the same way.

A spokesman for Herts Police said: “Anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area between the stated times or has information about the incident is asked to contact PC Michael Ball via 101, quoting crime reference D1/16/1833.”

After posting about the incident on the town’s social media page, Miss King was encourage to set up an online fundraiser after people came forward to donate towards the repair costs.

If you would like to contribute, visit the page here.