Bethesda yobs overturn cancer sufferer's car

Jun 3 2009 By Daniel Bissett

DRUNKEN yobs causing havoc in Bethesda overturned the car of a cancer sufferer.

Tom Moriarty, who lives in Abercaseg, says that youths, many of whom have been drinking, often come through the village being rowdy, smashing bottles, leaving litter and cause anxiety for many residents.

Things came to a head over the recent bank holiday weekend when his wife Glenda had her car overturned during the early hours of May 25 which caused extensive damage to one side of the vehicle.

He said: "My wife Glenda has breast cancer, which, unfortunately, has spread to her bones.

"The car door window will need to be replaced and the side of the car is damaged, so it will cost anything from £50-200 to repair, but it’s not so much the money, it’s the fact that this sort of vandalism is continuing and it’s time something was done about it.

"This wasn’t the only vehicle damage to happen that night because I believe a number of cars were scratched and some even had stones thrown at them. "The car wasn’t parked outside my house, it was further down the street because of parking space. The police called me the following day and alerted me to the fact it had been overturned."

Mr Moriarty believes it may be youths who live at the other end of Bethesda who are causing the problems.

"I don’t think the youngsters live in the Abercaseg area, I think they come from the opposite side of the town and walk through," he said.

"I’m not sure how they get hold of the alcohol, but there are numerous ways unfortunately.

"But unless we draw attention to these kinds of incident and more people complain, it’s just going to keep on happening and nothing will get done.

"When’s it going to stop because people are sick of it?"

Cllr Ann Williams said although she wasn't aware of the incident at the time, she said it was important residents and the police worked together to combat any problems.

"It’s important that any incidents like this are reported to the police because unless they are, it’s difficult to do anything about them.

"I know there have been incidents in Parc Meurig occasionally, but I wasn’t aware of any incident on the Abercaseg estate."

PC Eifion Jones, Ogwen CBM, echoed Cllr Williams’ comments, and said: "If residents in Bethesda are concerned or witness anti-social behaviour then they should contact us immediately."

Anyone who may have information can contact the police on 0845 607 1001 (Welsh line), 0845 607 1002 (English line) or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.