Our Car, After Having Rocks Thrown At It

[fishpieface]

Whilst on holiday, some lowlife decided that it would be a good idea

to throw rocks at cars.  As a result our car has multiple dents, scratches

and marks all along the driver's side and some on the windscreen.

I didn't think the police would be very interested but they took it very

seriously.

[fishpieface]

Sorry, that's a bit big.  That's just one of the twenty or so dents/scratches

along one side.

[**towery**]

thats horrible,  was it just the once ?

[stan3502]

Some people really do need to get a life.................. what's the betting it's kids who will say they were bored

Sorry this has happened to you fishy

[chickengrandma-2008]

Had you left it parked somewhere or where you driving it at the time?  There are incidents round here now and again where youths, although sometimes children as young as 10, throw missiles down on cars travelling under the bridges across the dual carriageways.  Not only does it damage the cars but could cause a terrible accident.  It makes you wonder if they're too thick to realise this, or is it what they want??

Pity about your car fishie, will the insurance cover the repairs?

[fishpieface]

Yes Towery, it was just once, outside the guest house where I was staying on holiday.  Well,

just up the road a bit, some people in the hotel opposite where it happened saw it, at 2.30am,

and called the police.  The lady who saw it also had damage to her car which was parked in

front of mine and was writing me a note to put on my car when I came along and was able to

speak to her.  I must say the Devone & Cornwall Police were very professional and pleasant,

despite the standing joke that they never have any crime in Bude and had to be dragged out

of the suf to deal with it!  They said indeed their crime rates are one of the lowest in the UK,

but there's always somebody who has to spoil it and unfortunately our car was their victim.

Nobody was in it, it was parked overnight, I'm just grateful it wasn't people or animals they

were throwing rocks at.

It beggars belief really, there is the Atlantic Ocean a few yards away with plenty of room to

throw rocks in out of the way of people and their belongings.  Doing no damage doesn't give

them any kicks though does it?

I've just been onto the insurance, we've got to pay £250-00 excess but our maximum no-claims

is protected and they'll come and get our car and bring us a courtesy cat whilst the work is being

done.  So it's just hassle really, but people have far worse to deal with I know.

[fishpieface]

Chickengrandma, luckily nobody was in it, it was parked but I remember a local lorry driver

was killed when someone threw rocks off a bridge over the M3 as he was passing

underneath a few years back.  He managed to get onto the hard shoulder but had a fatal

heart attack and died immediately after it happened.

There was a spate of it happening round here too, especially at buses, a couple of our

local bus drivers got hurt, though not seriously, but they are double-deckers, often full

of people - not difficult to imagine what could have happened.

In comparison ours isn't that significant, but it's the same thing that caused it and who knows

what they'll progress to when that gets boring if they're not brought to justice. 

[guardpig]

Sorry about that Fishie.  At least some police forces are trying to do something.  

There's a bunch of lads(still at Juniors I'd say) who misbehave and make loads of noise at daughter's flats. They have been mooning and exposing themselves to passersby and trying to climb in the clothing bin(find myself hoping they get stuck for a good while) and generally behaving like bored kids do.  Not a lot wrong? hmm, well, one thing leads to another.

Two of the kids at local playpark swearing and throwing stones.   Several parents told them to stop or they'd tell their parents - as though(as several adult admitted who knew them) that was going to do any good.  I put a stop to it by wandering over and informing them that if they continued throwing stones then i would throw bigger ones and that, unlike them, I was a good shot and really couldn't miss.  One said I couldn't which led to a brief resumee of if you can then I can and did he really want to grow up a piece of worthless trash and end up in jail with bigger bullies like me.  Funny he slinks off when ever he sees me now!

However there is a police presence on the estate every evening I have been there, they randomly appear several times a day but they ignore the lads.  Presumably the paperwork, oh the paperwork would be just too much for the poor benighted coppers.  I feel if the lads were picked up on their behaviour now whilst it's just low level nuisance  it could well lead to them growing up into respectable adults rather than criminals.  Just wish the authority figures would do something constructive.  You see, there is one rather porky lad who hangs around with them who, when on his own, is quite delightful, chatty, bright, helpful and desperate for approval.  One wonders what the others are like.

[fishpieface]

Exactly Guardpig, I wouldn't mind betting a lot of them are fine by themselves, it's when they

get led on by not wanting to be seen as a chicken by their peers.  There's usually only one

or two who egg on/pressurise etc others into becoming part of the "up to no good gang"

where one thing just leads to another until it's uncontrollable.  That's why it needs nipping in

the bud.

As you know our eldest son is far from perfect behaviour-wise, and he was brought to justice

over stupid decisions he made to go along with riotous behaviour a couple of years ago.

As a result of repeatedly not attending probation appointments and community service sessions,

he was sent to prison for four months and given probation appointments weekly for four more

months. 

He is still not perfect behaviour-wise BUT he has learnt that he doesn't want to go back to prison,

he has learnt what happens when he doesn't attend appointments that the court set, despite him

wrongly thinking that nothing would.  He has made improvements and attends his appointments

each week. He has learnt that it is him who makes the decisions to go with the flow, rightly or

wrongly, and if he decides to go wrongly then consequences happen.  He is beginning, just

sometimes, to think before he acts and he is beginning to behave himself and know where the

boundaries lie.  He knows he is the one who has to make the decisions to act in a way that

doesn't result in him going to prison, that he is the one who has to keep out of trouble and

that plenty of people will help him if he lets them, but it's him who has to start to make responsible

adult decisions.  It doesn't sound a particularly nice thing to say, but we think the prison bit was

a blessing in disguise.  He now sees us a bit differently, or I assume he does, because we

remained there for him but refused to say he didn't get what was coming to him or say he did

nothing wrong.  He now says thank-you when I do his washing, give him lifts home etc.

There is hope, but these petty criminals have to be caught and dealt with early on, and it helps

tremedously if they have parental support.  Not to say how their little darling wouldn't ever do anything

wrong, but to teach them right from wrong, good manners and support whoever has to deal with

them if they step out of line whilst remaining there for their child/young adult.

Enough waffle from me, I've got to go shopping!

[baby_clothes_online]

Awful thing to happen, especially when you are on holiday 😞

[ed_blackadder_1]

Sorry to hear that fish hope it won't put you off coming down here again.

Just makes you want to get hold of them and ...........................................

[wizilizi]

Awwww Fishy what a horrible thing to happen

In the village where we used to live, a local lad, having split up from his girlfriend, smashed the windscreens of eight cars which were reversed into their drives - luckily missing ours - but you can imagine how the owners reacted

He had to pay for them all - which is ok, but really.. .. ..  

I don't know that lads are any worse these days though??  Didn't a certain number always get up to things?

[fishpieface]

Oh gosh Blackadder, it'll take more than that to put me off coming to Devon & Cornwall!

Honestly I'd very happily live there given half the chance - I always feel very much at

home there by the sea.

They are picking our car up on Tuesday week to repair it.

[captainbovine]

blimey fishy, I'm sorry that happened to you....ere tho' how's the curtesy cat coming along....look at your post, gawd that made me laf!!!

is it a fast car....does it go..........

mmmeeeeooooowwwwwww!!

(I'll get me coat..)

[merc1_clocks]

That blerdy moo