Victim left ‘scared’ and ‘struggling to sleep’ after axe-wielding thug smashes his car in Derbyshire town

In the early hours of Monday morning, a Shirebrook resident, who has asked to remain anonymous, was sleeping soundly. At around 3.40am, however, he woke to find that someone had smashed his car – which was parked outside his Alder Way home – to pieces.

He said: “An axe had been used on the bonnet, and the front window screen had been smashed. The two passenger windows were also smashed, and they had tried to open one of the doors.”

The resident said that, after reporting the incident to Derbyshire Police, he was told there was little they could do.

“We’ve found the footage of the guy who did it – we told the police and all they’ve said was they can’t really do much. They can’t do any forensics because there’s no blood or anything. They just gave me a crime reference number and asked me to send the photos over email or Facebook.

“The police haven’t bothered to contact me or anything. They could’ve knocked on some doors, asking people if they heard anything, but they’re just not bothered at all.”

He added that he and his mum were not able to sleep following the incident – and called for a more visible response to help reassure victims after such crimes.

“At nighttime, I’m scared about what’s going to happen next. There’s somebody walking around with an axe and they’re not bothered. It’s worrying – me and my mum are both struggling to sleep.

“Even if they just came out to see how we were feeling and took a proper statement. It’s not like it’s a low-level crime - it’s serious.”

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A Derbyshire Police spokesperson said: “Officers received a report of a car having been damaged in Alder Way, Shirebrook just after 8.00am on Monday, February 6.

“An investigation has been opened into the incident and an officer will be assigned to make further enquiries in due course.

“When we receive a report of a crime that occurred but is not currently ongoing, officers from a dedicated team will review it and assess if there is any immediate concern for safety.

“The investigation will then move onto potential lines of enquiry which can include witness statements, CCTV footage and forensic opportunities.

“In this case the victim has been asked to send in pictures of the damage along with a neighbour’s CCTV for help with the investigation.

“We are sorry the victim feels they have not received the level of service they would expect, and an officer will be in contact with them to update them on the investigation in due course.”