Wigan man's fury at car axe attack police probe

A Wigan man is locked in dispute with police over their probe into an axe attack on his car.
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Gary Farrimond, from Orrell, is furious that Greater Manchester Police have been able to make no progress in tracking down the offender responsible for damaging his VW Golf R estate last November.

Mr Farrimond says he believes the CCTV footage of the incident is quite clear and is baffled that no arrests have been made and the case closed.

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However, GMP’s account of events is very different, saying that the recorded video is not of good-enough quality and that all avenues to probe the damage have been exhausted.

Gary FarrimondGary Farrimond
Gary Farrimond

The Wigan Post has also seen a complaint form completed by Mr Farrimond for the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) setting out his grievances. Mr Farrimond said the vandalism to his car left him with a huge bill and he now parks it a few miles away from his home in case it is targeted again.

He said: “There was £10,000 in damage. My car got smashed with an axe, the windows were gone through and the doors damaged.

“The police have done nothing about it. They came out a few days after I reported it but when I phoned Wigan station they didn’t know anything about it, it was as though no crime had been committed.

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“To me having a blade and walking around with it is an offence you could go to jail for. When a crime like this is committed I expect someone to be questioned about it.

The damage to the carThe damage to the car
The damage to the car

“This has affected my no-claims bonus. I will now have to pay thousands of pounds a year in insurance and why should I?”

However, GMP have strongly denied Mr Farrimond’s claim that they have not investigated the incident properly.

A spokesperson said: “All viable evidence has been examined and all lines of enquiry have subsequently been exhausted. Due to a lack of sufficient evidence this case has now been closed.”

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GMP said the CCTV footage was viewed but it was not possible to establish the identity of an offender clearly from it so it was not taken from Mr Farrimond. Police also said that the case will be re-examined if new evidence is presented.

This newspaper has seen a complaint form to the IOPC submitted earlier this month in which Mr Farrimond again alleges the police did not do enough to solve the matter.

GMP said it has had no communication from the IOPC on the case.

Anyone who knows anything about the attack can contact police on 101, quoting crime reference number CR-06LL-0028220-20, or get in touch with Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

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