Firefighter’s vehicles vandalised in targeted attack on Goldington Avenue

Bedfordshire Police are investigating after some vehicles have been vandalised in what appears to be a targeted attack aimed at someone living on Goldington Avenue, Bedford.

Firefighter Karl Packham, who owns the vehicles, says there is “genuinely no motive that I can think of” for why his work van and a Range Rover he owns have been covered in black paint, scratched, and covered in stickers.

The stickers appear to have been made to target Karl specifically, despite the vandal getting his name wrong. They ask things like, ‘Kyle, why are you here?’, ‘What did I do to you?’, and ‘Y, are you lying about me?’

“So far I’ve assumed it’s parking-related but I really don’t know,” said Karl.

“They’ve got my name wrong on their notes which leads me to believe that it’s not anyone that I know and just a coward with a bee in their bonnet over something, hiding in the shadows damaging my property that I’ve worked hard for.”

While the vandalism may seem superficial, it has caused Karl a lot of frustration and has also had a far more serious impact.

“I work as a Firefighter in London. I’ve even been late to a fire brigade shift as I had to clean black paint off my numberplate before I could leave, meaning a front-line fire appliance has been unavailable for calls,” Karl told the Bedford Independent.

The van Karl uses for his own business has been vandalised too.

“I have built my construction company from scratch in my spare time over the past three years. I work long hours including night shifts and the last thing I need to be coming home to is my property being damaged.

“It’s made me feel frustrated and picked on, and not knowing why has made it even more stressful.”

Despite all this, Karl has said it hasn’t changed his view of the area.

Karl’s vehicles have been covered in stickers and scratched by a vandal while parked on Goldington Avenue. Images: Karl Packham

“On the flip side, many of my neighbours and local people have been very friendly and helpful and even offered to help cover costs for damages and keep a lookout for whoever is doing this.

“It’s a lovely area and a great community being spoiled by one individual.”

Police investigating

A spokesperson for Bedfordshire Police said: “We are investigating a series of criminal damage reports in the Goldington Road area of Bedford.

“Over the past three months, a number of vehicles have been vandalised in what are believed to be targeted attacks.

“We are appealing for witnesses and would urge anyone with information, dashcam or doorbell footage from the area to contact us via 101 quoting reference 40/59502/24.”

Karl added, “I’ve nothing to say to them [the vandal], I hope they are held accountable for their cowardly behaviour.”