A single mum has told of the terrifying moment she heard her daughter ‘screaming’ as a group of masked men began smashing up her Range Rover in the early hours of Christmas Day.
Stevie Greenough, 34, had put her ten-year-old daughter to bed in her new Christmas pyjamas and was building her a dressing table with her eldest, aged 17, when the festive evening descended into horror.
After going upstairs to use the bathroom, Stevie, who was making the final preparations for Christmas Day, heard her teenage daughter ‘screaming’ repeatedly before hearing ‘loud smashing’ noises coming from outside.
READ MORE: Etihad Stadium fire LIVE as blaze breaks out ahead of Man City vs Club Brugge game
READ MORE: Full list of Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland branches set to close – including five in Greater Manchester
The group of four masked men, dressed in black, began attacking her Range Rover, parked outside her Clarke Street home in Leigh, and smashing in the windows and the sunroof before running towards the door and beating it with a weapon.
She claims the suspects then fled the scene in a car and the police were called. Over a month later, investigations into the attack, which she believes to be ‘targeted’, is continuing. A man was arrested but later bailed.
“I went upstairs and the next thing, I heard my car alarm going off and my daughter screaming,” Stevie told the Manchester Evening News.
“There was all this shouting and screaming and then I heard loud smashing noises. I thought, what the hell is going on? I ran to the front door and saw my daughter’s boyfriend drag her inside and slam it shut.
“My daughter had ran out the door and one of the masked men chased her up the path. If her boyfriend hadn’t of pulled her in she would have been seriously injured.
“They knew what they were doing. They all had balaclavas on and their faces covered. They had two batons and have gone for the sunroof, which is the most expensive part to fix.”
Horrifying CCTV footage captured the moment the thugs began attacking the vehicle, at around 1.30am on Christmas Day. In other footage, screams can be heard from inside the house as the family were targeted.
Stevie also claimed that earlier in the evening, when being visited by a friend, she had spotted a vehicle being driven repeatedly around her street, at one point even stopping outside her home.
“I actually said to my friend, I had a feeling something was going to happen. Then about 20 minutes after she went and her car had left, this happened,” she said.
“I was so shocked. live in a quiet cul-de-sac here. I have no trouble with anyone or anything. I am a single mum just trying to do my best for my children and get on with my life. I knew there was no way it was linked to me.
“I couldn’t keep the kids in the house for a while after that. The Christmas was ruined, we had to go to my grandad’s for the day.
“My children have been left scared in their own home. I’ve been left with a lot of damage to my car and financially have to cover the costs of the damage. Nothing like this has ever happened to us, you don’t feel the same after it. We don’t deserve this.”
Stevie is now appealing to anyone in the nearby area to check their doorbell and CCTV cameras in hope of catching those responsible and urged them to report it to the police.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed they were called out to the incident in the early hours of Christmas Day, and that a 30-year-old man was initially arrested on suspicion of criminal damage. He was later bailed, with investigations ongoing into the incident.