A FERGUS Road resident says she’s been left afraid in her own home after slingshot vandals targeted her house for a second time earlier this week.
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Joan Rankin and her husband Graham awoke on Monday morning to find the glass panelling on their front door having been smashed by a stone.
The attack follows on from an incident last month when Graham was lucky to escape serious injury after a glass marble was fired through the couple’s lounge room window.
Queanbeyan Police have been hunting a person or persons believed responsible for a string of slingshot attacks in the Karabar area over the past two months.
So far no one has been injured in the attacks but more than 20 homes – predominately centred around the Donald Road area – have been damaged.
“The first time it was just lucky my husband wasn’t hit in the back of the head,” Joan said. “But whoever’s doing it doesn’t seem to care.
“You really do start to worry what’s going to come through the window next, especially when you’ve been done over twice. Is it going to be a bigger rock next time?
“I really do think someone is going to be serious hurt, if not killed if these people aren’t stopped.”
And Joan confirmed they had been far from the only Fergus Road residents to have suffered at the vandals’ hands.
“Our neighbour on the top side got done over and they tell me the next house along and the house across the road have been hit,” she said.
“It’s just bloody scary, the amount of damage that’s been done that people have got to pay for.”
Queanbeyan Police inspector Neil Grey would not comment on whether they are pursuing any leads aimed at identifying those behind the attacks.
But he confirmed police are treating the ongoing vandalism as a priority.
“I can understand the fears people may have and these incidents are certainly a priority of ours at the moment due to the amount of damage being caused,” inspector Grey said.
“We are devoting available resources to tracking down those behind these offences as well as carrying out proactive patrols of the area.
“But certainly if there are any members of the public out there who are able to assist us in our enquires, we would urge them to contact Crime Stoppers or Queanbeyan Police.”
Joan, meanwhile, said the damage caused by the attacks amounted to more than simply broken panes of glass and that everyday life on the street is being affected.
“Usually for Christmas I decorate my big window but I won’t be doing that this year,” she said. “It’s getting bad when you can’t even decorate your own home.”