Hammer wielding thugs on moped smash up mum’s car in Romford in spate of attacks

A pair of hammer wielding “hooligans” chased a vulnerable mother as she drove home from work and smashed her car window – part of a spate of attacks in the area.

The victim was driving along London Road, Romford, when a moped zoomed past her at around 4.30pm on Tuesday.

She braked hard to avoid them, but the riders swerved around in a U-turn and began to scream and swear at her.

Fearing for her safety, and worried about a possible acid attack, she drove away, but the pair followed her through the backstreets of Romford.

The thugs then sped in front of her, forcing her to stop.

The victim’s partner told the Recorder that the backseat rider then got off the moped and smashed her rear window with a hammer.

“She was absolutely terrified and didn’t know what to do,” he said.

“She feared he was going to spray acid.

“She was a woman, coming home alone going to pick up her boys and the attack was completely unprovoked, it was disgraceful.

“I feel so angry, these people have no respect for anyone and they are destroying people’s lives by going around and causing havoc.”

He picked up his partner after the ordeal, and said she was “hysterical and upset”.

“Something needs to happen to stop these moped attacks, I don’t know what the answer is,” he added.

In the same afternoon there were four other incidents with moped drivers wielding a hammer, in the border of Romford and Dagenham.

Three attacks were on learner drivers accompanied by instructors, and one on a 72-year-old man.

Pensioner David Bailey had his car targeted at 8am in Becontree Avenue, Dagenham.

He said: “It’s absolutely terrifying – I was moving along slowly and all of a sudden I heard a bang.

“I thought I’d hit something so I stopped, then there were these two men peering in through my window.”

Aamir Hoban, a driving instructor, was with a pupil on Green Lane at 10am when his car was vandalised. His dashcam captured the incident on film.

“It was very scary. These two men were going along slowly, then they just started damaging my car,” he said.

Det Sgt Dean Grafton, who is leading Operation Venice in the tri-borough area, the Met’s programme to stop moped enabled crime, said “at this early stage we cannot confirm whether the incidents are linked”.

He said: “I can confirm that police are investigating reports of persons on a moped causing criminal damage to vehicles in the Dagenham area that occurred on Tuesday.

“Two males were arrested yesterday afternoon on a stolen moped and have both since been released under investigation.

“Police continue to tackle moped enabled crime under Operation Venice.

“Any witnesses or victims to any such incidents should report these matters to 101 or 999 in an emergency.”