SWSYwindows – By Adam Dutton
Shocking footage shows the moment a van driver crashed into the front of a mum’s house – before smashing all her windows with a hammer.
Katarzyna Gebski, 53, says she was left petrified when the man ploughed into her home in Loughborough, Leics., in the early hours of the morning.
Bizarre CCTV footage captured the van smashing into the property and reversing back in the street before the driver reappeared armed with a hammer.
He can then be seen proceeding to smash her bay and side windows before attacking the front door and making his escape.
Fuming Katarzyna says she has been left to live in freezing conditions for 22 months as her local council have not carried out repairs since the incident on May 27, 2023.
And to makes matters, nobody has ever been convicted over the attack despite police making an arrest.
Mum-of-three Katarzyna said: “I was sat watching TV around midnight and heard the bang. I heard the revving and wondered what was going on.
“I looked out the window and he was reversing. I thought it was over but then I heard a lot of banging while I was on the phone to the police.
“He had parked down the road and came back and started smashing our windows and doors.
“The whole van incident was only five minutes but it felt like forever.
“He had hit a little bit of brickwork on the window underneath and left his grille on the doorstep as he was reversing while trying to get out.
“The main damage was the bay window, the front door, and a bit of brickwork. The bit of brickwork is all that the council has replaced so far.
“The council put a board on the windows but that was it, there was a lot of draught coming in.
“We’ve got a big hole by the front door and it’s been freezing with the winters and all the storms.
“He smashed the side windows and a few little ones he smashed straight through.
“He drove the van into the window and then came back with a hammer.
“The police did go and make an arrest. It went to court but it went no further as they couldn’t prove it was him despite the CCTV.
“Apparently the footage wasn’t clear enough and when they found him he had keys to a different van, so they couldn’t link him to it.”
Katarzyna says she suffers from emphysema and the cold weather caused by the constant cold and draught makes her condition worse.
The council have boarded up the smashed windows and repaired the wall, but are yet to fully replace them despite measuring the frames four times.
Katarzyna’s says her living room only heats up to 11 degrees when her heating is on max and says she has to sit on her hands to keep them warm.
She added: “They did a bit of pointing at the side of the front door, but that’s it. They’ve been out and measured the windows four times, but it doesn’t go any further.
“They’re shattered and you can’t see out of it very clearly. It’s pretty embarrassing as people walk by and see it smashed up.
“I have noticed that I’ve got a damp patch at the bottom of the stairs near where they did the pointing on the outside.
“The heating was reading 11 degrees with the heating on 24 degrees. The max I’ve had is 17 thanks to this.
“It’s not done my physical health any good, I have emphysema, and had a repeat chest infection since winter 2023, plus a bout of pneumonia.
“When we had the last storm, the draught caused a bedroom door to fly open due to a small window being open, that’s how bad it gets.
“Mentally it’s wearing me down, and I already suffer with anxiety and depression.
“It’s so cold in my lounge I literally have to sit on my hands or keep them in my hoodie pockets, my feet are always cold and my toes even go purple.”
A Charnwood Borough Council spokesperson said: “We are currently in the process of arranging to have the damaged window replaced, and an asbestos survey has taken place in preparation.
“We have had difficulties with gaining access to the property in the past, but we accept that this work should have been completed by now.
“We apologise for the inconvenience caused by these delays. We are making this a priority so that we can get the work completed as soon as possible.”
A Leicestershire Police spokesperson said: “A report that a vehicle had collided with a house in Manor Drive, Loughborough was received at 12.12am on 27 May 2023.
“An arrest was made shortly afterwards.”
The case against the man arrested was later dismissed in court after there was no further evidence offered by the prosecution.
