A volunteer helping her community through the coronavirus crisis had all four tyres on her car slashed while assisting her neighbours.
Helen Crouch, who has been delivering meals, prescriptions and groceries to people in coronavirus isolation in three Leicestershire villages, wept when she realised her car had been damaged.
The tyres of Helen's VW Touareg were attacked sometime between about 7pm on Saturday and 9am on Sunday.
The 41-year-old single mum, who set up the Bagworth and Thornton Coronavirus Community Response Team earlier this month, said: “I am a strong person but I just stood there and cried.
“I can’t believe anyone could do this.
“There were leaflets advertising the response team in my back windows and everyone has seen me out and about in Thornton, Bagworth and Stanton under Bardon. No other car was damaged.
“I think someone has deliberately targeted my car to try to stop me doing what I am doing. It is sick beyond belief.
“All four tyres have holes in. It looks like someone has used a big screwdriver to inflict the damage.
“My car broke down on Saturday so I had to leave it there. I had just delivered a shepherd’s pie to an old person in the village.
“I called a friend and told him about my car breaking down. He said I could borrow his van to carry on my rounds as I had other food to deliver.”
Helen, who has visited more than 100 people in the 12 days since she set up the volunteer group, worked until the evening on Saturday then went out the next morning.
Helen said: "As I drove past my car I saw that all four tyres were flat as a pancake.
“I got out and I could clearly see the puncture marks in each tyre. That’s when I lost it.”
A distraught Helen, a self-employed interior designer who is now jobless, filmed the damage to her tyres.
In the footage she can be heard saying: “Do you know what? I’ve done two weeks of response work in these two villages and somebody has stabbed every single one of my tyres on a car that has broken down and that I need.
“I hope you are proud of yourselves. £450. I have just lost my business. Thanks a lot.”
Shortly after the video was posted online, Thornton resident Matt Goddard set up a Gofundme appeal to pay for Helen’s tyres to be replaced.
He set a target of £500 which was achieved within two hours.
Matt, who is in a 14-day isolation at home with his wife and child, is a firefighter with the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service based at Lutterworth.
Matt said: “This is terrible. Helen is amazing.
“She has been delivering stuff to us and to my parents who are also in isolation in the village.
“Any extra money raise will got to help the group carry on their great work looking after people and helping them in isolation.”
Helen said she was touched by the response.
Helen said: “I can’t thank the people enough. It is very humbling to know that, in these tough times, people have actually donated money to help me out.
“A horrible thing has happened but this just shows that the vast majority of people are good.
“I want the person who slashed my tyres to know that I won’t be discouraged or beaten. They won’t win – together the whole community will win.”
By 3pm today, the fund total had reached £1,860.
Leicestershire Police have confirmed they are investigating the tyre slashing.
A force spokesperson said: “We have had a report of damage to a vehicle parked in Main Street, Thornton.
“This is believed to have happened between about 7pm on March 28 and 9am the next day.
“We would ask anyone who knows anything about the incident to call us.”
Anyone with any information can contact the police on 101.
To donate to Matt's fund, click here.
