Eastbourne mum’s shock at arson attack on home

Karen Rough’s house in Willowfield Road was subjected an arson attack and a projectile was thrown through one of her windows on two consecutive nights.

The key worker, who lives with her husband and adult son, who are also key workers, said, “I was shocked. Words fail me.

“We are a normal family, we’ve lived here for 20 years.”

The first incident happened overnight on Tuesday (June 30).

Karen said her husband went outside to take the bins out the next morning and discovered the front door had been burned.

“It had obviously had something thrown at it,” she said, “There were shards of glass, smoke.”

Police came as well as specialist scene of crime investigators from Bognor Regis.

“They said it was a homemade incendiary device, like a Molotov cocktail,” she said.

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Karen said at first she didn’t think anything of it and went to work as usual.

Then, they went to bed on Wednesday night (July 1) but at 2am they heard an ‘almighty noise’.

“I shot out of bed, opened the window, and saw a figure that scarpered down the street,” she said.

They went downstairs and found a concrete block – ‘the size of a fist’ – had been thrown through the front window.

Police were called again and officers are investigating.

Since, the pair have added a number of extra security measures to their home, but Karen says she felt on edge going to bed the next night.

Luckily, though, she says nothing happened overnight on Thursday (July 2).

She said, “I’m assuming and hoping this is a case of mistaken identity.

“We are all key workers, we are amicable people. We are a tight-knit family.”

If you have any information about either incident, contact police on 101 or online.

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