AIBU to have reported a 70 year old granny to the police for maliciously damaging my car?

[mumofthreesweeties]

As the thread title goes, I could not believe my eyes when a 70 year old maliciously scratched my car this evening. I was sitting in the car with my DD who is 10 months while waiting for my DS who is four who was at football practise. This granny was walking her dog and I thought it strange that she was walking so close to my car when there was so much space. I didnt think anything of it until I saw her peering into my car (passenger door, I was sitting in the front). I initially thought she was going to open my car door and nick something but she wanted to see if there was anyone in the car before getting her keys out of her pocket and deeply scratching my whole passenger door.

I opened my car door, saw the scratch and immediately confronted her on her actions. Her response was that I was parked on a pavement (which I wasnt) so that is why she had scratched my car. I then told her that was rubbish as we cant all go around breaking the law and taking it into our own hands because we dont like something. Well basically she admitted doing it and I just called the police because she was getting mouthy. Instead of just apologising for her actions she was developing a serious attitude. Anway to cut a long story short she was given an on the spot fine and cautioned. My insurance company will also be recovering all the money they will spend fixing my car from her.

On one hand I feel that maybe for her those were the first signs of an illness given her age, but then I counteract that with the notion that she couldnt even be bothered to apologise and saw nothing wrong with her actions. To say I was royally pissed off is an understatement. Her son who had now turned up with her husband seemed to think that I had made it up and I just politely reminded them that their mum was caught red handed, she admitted it to the police and the call handler when I dialled 999 would surely have a record of the conversation and they would be able to hear her mouthing off. Sorry its long guys, I just really had to vent

You are not being unreasonable at all; I would have done the exact same.

Actually I'm going to go against the grain here.

I think that she was completely out of order to damage your car. But

To dial 999 over it was completely ott and a waste of police time. What if there was a real emergency - those responding to your 999 call would have been kept away from that, what if someone had died?

So on that basis I think yabu.

OFGS, I cannot believe anybody would think yabu. So, wannaBe, if it was a teenage boy in a hoodie that had done it, and was then getting mouthy and aggressive, do you think the op should not have dialled 999 then?

Hope you're okay, OP.

wannaBe, I think that crime in progress is classed as an emergency. Criminal damage and threatening behaviour are both crimes. I think the OP was totally justified in calling the police and I would have done the same thing.

but it wasn't.

999 is for emergencies. Not because you're cross at some old woman scratching your car.

The woman was out of line to damage op's car, but the op should have dialed her local police station, not 999.

i imagine it would have been pretty hard to prove if the police didn't attend - and it's crimimal damage

hahah as if the police would have come if she'd just called the local office. fgs

And by the time the local cops arrived, the old lady would have gone.

If immediate police attendance is required then you call 999.

From direct.gov;
"You should call 999 if:

• violence is being used or threatened
• there is danger to life
• a crime is in progress or offenders carrying out a crime have recently been disturbed
• there has been a road accident where people are injured, or there has been a accident that has affected traffic"

OP's situation definitely falls into the crime in progress category and she did nothing wrong by calling 999 rather than the local police number.

YANBU. YOu caught someone commiting a criminal act and called the police.

How come she didn't see you in the car though?

I am fine thanks Bessie,hope you are too. Thanks for asking....Wannabe - you are entitled to your own opinion which is the purpose of this thread........I shall not even bother to respond to your post. Thanks for airing your view though.

BuzzingNoise, I am not sure either. I was parked near a tree so maybe there was a shadow across the driver's side and I was sitting with my head rested on the head rest. She probably just assumed it was empty as drivers usually park there when they are going for a jog etc as the parking is specifically for park users.

Thank you all for your responses

Wannabe- I just couldnt resist if my case wasnt so urgent then why did the lady who answered the call escalate the call to extremely urgent with the police arriving within 3 minutes???? Surely she is trained to determine which calls are important or not. Actually are you the granny who scratched my car???? Figures

We have anti-social behaviour and criminal damage issues on my road (road is nice but near town centre pubs). Examples are front doors being kicked VERY hard, car windows smashed, fights, bottles smashed. Our police community support officer has told us to call 999 for any of these problems as anti-social behaviour is a top priority. I would expect the police call centre to prioritise calls and obvious send a car out to the person being mugged rather than the person having their car kicked. I see no problem calling 999 in this instance - she wasn't asking how to boil an egg or for a lift home from the pub.