Monday, March 16, 2015

Children at well-to-do neighbourhood playground pelted with eggs by noise-hating resident

Children at a playground in the exclusive Potts Point suburb of Sydney, Australia, have been pelted with eggs by a resident of one of the city's most desirable addresses, and police are furious. School children playing in the Fitzroy Gardens playground have repeatedly had volleys of raw eggs hurled at them from 25 metres above ground, as a rogue resident of the Gazebo building shelled them as they played. The latest attack happened on Monday as Hugh McCullum and his seven-year-old daughter Madeleine were at the park, which was packed with babies, toddlers and primary school children.

Mr McCullum said he saw eggs coming from a balcony. “The kids were being a bit noisy,” he said. “Next thing I see this egg out of the corner of my eye come down and land at the top of the slide, so I looked up to see where it had come from.” A second egg followed, making a loud thud as it hit a chalk board. “I saw it being launched from a balcony of the Gazebo building and there was no one on it. Just after they did it, they closed all their blinds,” Mr McCullum said. “It freaked out the kids.”



Kings Cross police said the attack was “incredibly reckless” and that a toddler could have been seriously injured if hit by an egg thrown from such a height. Officers have spoken with a “person of interest” from one of the nearby blocks but no charges have been laid. Superintendent Michael Fitzgerald said he was “filthy” about the egging and police were confident they knew where the missiles had come from. They just needed CCTV evidence.

“We’re hoping that the people ­involved will stop this behaviour because it is incredibly reckless,” Supt Fitzgerald said. Police door-knocked and letter-dropped the three unit blocks, warning residents of serious consequences. “If a child was hit they would be up for a serious assault charge or grievous bodily harm,” Supt Fitzgerald said. Kings Cross Parents and Carers Group convener Claudia Bowman said there had been a history of residents who were anti the playground. A City of Sydney spokeswoman said it had received complaints from a Potts Point resident about noise from the playground.

4 comments:

Dunex said...

Why the need for CCTV when witness can point out apartment with closed blinds?

Gareth said...

Why? Because uncorroborated testimony would not stand up in court and even it it did it would only identify the appartment not the thrower. Presumably the person of interest is a resident of that appartment, but without an admission there's no further the police can go.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, but my experience says the police are useless. I've had one cop say one thing and then another cop says something completely different. They make up things as they go. I too live in Sydney. They should get in touch with the body corporate and have them send a letter to all the residents. I have always taught my children to have fun at the park, but there is no need for screaming. There are kids where I live who scream and carry on, while their parents are either texting or talking to other parents. They'll get caught soon enough.

Anonymous said...

Hugh McCullum is a notorious dickhead, it’s a shame his kids are punished for his agro narcissism