HAMPSHIRE captain James Vince has appealed to the public for information on repeated attacks on his property that forced him and his family out.
England cricketer Vince, 33, lives in a village east of Southampton and has been there for eight years with no trouble.
However, this year, Vince and his family have been the victims of two attacks on their property which have seen his home and vehicles vandalised.
Vince has described waking up to the sound of glass smashing and alarms blaring, while CCTV footage shows the perpetrator throwing objects through his windows.
The first attack happened in the second week of April and another just under a month later, a week after Vince and his family had returned following repairs.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Vince said: "All the experts we’ve spoken to say it looks like a money issue, unpaid debts or something.
Hampshire captain James Vince is appealing to the public for information (Image: Dave Vokes Photography)
“We have nothing to hide and know we have never been involved in anything like this. We just desperately want this to stop.
“If anyone knows anything, or sees anything in the footage of the attack that could lead to anything, please contact us or the Hampshire police.
"It could be the final piece of information we need to find out what is going on and get our lives back to normal."
Detailing the attacks, he added: “My wife and I woke suddenly to a load of smashing, and alarms going off.
“We had no idea what was going on and it was obviously very unnerving so we rushed straight to get the kids to make sure they were safe. They were very shaken up.
"By the time we had done that, and contacted the police, they had gone, and we did not see them. A neighbour saw a car drive away."
Vince added: “For the second one, I was actually still awake upstairs. That meant I was able to get downstairs quite quickly and had more of a sense of what was going on.
"It obviously wasn’t such a surprise either, because it had happened before. I think they saw the activity in the house and left quickly.
“This time, they used bricks – and the damage wasn’t quite as bad. It was similar though, with windows on the cars and house smashed.
"We were still up because we’d been at a dinner for my team-mate Chris Wood’s benefit year at the ground. We got home at about 11.30pm and it happened about midnight.
"We know a bit more about this one, because we have footage from the new security cameras.”
The Telegraph report details that both attacks happened, bizarrely, on the days of Hampshire Cricket home matches.
Vince’s family have bolstered their security provision further by hiring local crime and security experts to watch the property, but still fear the threat of a third attack.
This footage supplied by Hampshire captain James Vince is of an unprovoked attack on his home.
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) July 16, 2024
Vince’s property was vandalised on two separate occasions (April 15 and May 11) forcing his family out.
He is appealing for anyone with information to go to Hampshire Police. pic.twitter.com/Oct9BDTocb
He said: “We don’t want to risk the same thing happening again. It’s not fair for my wife or children to have to go through it again.
“Something like this is hugely disruptive in our lives, especially for our children, who have understandably been affected and unsettled by the situation.
"Having said that, I’m amazed and extremely proud of how they have dealt with it. We have received great support locally, and from within cricket.
"We have also enlisted private security personnel, who have found some key information, which is promising.
"Anything more that anyone knows would be fantastic, though, because this has to end.”
Hampshire Police were contacted for comment and detailed: "Two incidents of criminal damage at an address during the early hours of April 15 and May 11.
"On both occasions, two cars were damaged, and the front room windows smashed."
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