Florence Creighton shows some of the broken glass from her front door RMGFH102
A LISNASKEA resident whose front door was damaged by an early morning vandal whom she suspected was ‘high on drugs’ told this week how she ran after and collared the culprit and how she brought him in and made him coffee after he started crying.
Florence Creighton, who is universally known for her fund-raising towards various charities – including Nepal where she spent some time teaching the locals home skills – lives in one of nine houses in New Bridge Road.
The street, which fronts on to St Patrick’s Terrace, has become a popular ‘flight path’ for young people clubbing at weekends.
Unfortunately, over the years, her cars and cars belonging to fellow residents have been vandalised to the extent that they no have to park elsewhere.
Florence’s latest experience took place at 7.20 on Sunday morning last, 20th September.
“I awakened at 7.15 and out on the radio and I heard something. This man was obviously thumping on my door but I didn’t realise it was mine. It was only when I heard the glass breaking that I ran downstairs and, when I went outside, he was heading down Castle Lane.”
Florence ran after the man, shouting to him, ‘Come back. Look at what you’ve done to the door’.
The man, who, she said, police said was from Enniskillen, went back with her, telling her he would pay for the damage.
“I telephoned a neighbour because it was really quite scary. The neighbour arrived in and asked if I had phoned the police and I said I hadn’t. I dialled Lisnaskea (station) and got no response, so I dialled ‘999’.
“I told them I had so much vandalism done to my car over the past number of years and that this was the first time I caught anyone and that I would appreciate if they would come out and take him away.”
“At this stage, the man sat down on the ground and started to cry. He pulled-up his trouser leg and showed me where it was cut and he asked me for some cream.”
Amazingly, Florence got the man a coffee and, although he ran away again, he came back when she called after him.
“He was high on drugs. He told me he was running after a red and white husky (dog). I did feel sorry for him. I asked him his name and he didn’t know his name, he didn’t even know who his parents were.
“ He wasn’t aggressive and I don’t think he realised what he had done, but, people around here are afraid, especially at weekends, of things like this happening.
“It’s usually on Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights, mostly when people are coming back from the pubs and clubs.
“My cars have been damaged so often here, wing mirrors, aerials, wipers and bumps thumped into them. I must have spent over £500 over the years getting damage fixed .
“As I told the ‘999’ switchboard, no one was ever caught, so I made sure not to miss my chance this time of catching the criminal.”
But, Florence is adamant that the problem is not confined to her street.
“There is a big drug problem in Lisnaskea when you think of the vandalism done at the workhouse and the butter market as well as to the other cars in this street.”
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