Couple left shocked after their home is wrongly targeted

A COUPLE awoke on Christmas Day to find their house plastered with graffiti by a thug wanting to shame a paedophile living nearby.The devastated pair were left feeling vulnerable and exposed after a man walked up to the front of their house on Hoylake Driv

A COUPLE awoke on Christmas Day to find their house plastered with graffiti by a thug wanting to shame a paedophile living nearby.

The devastated pair were left feeling vulnerable and exposed after a man walked up to the front of their house on Hoylake Drive, Swinton, in the early hours and daubed NONCE OUT on their living room window in foot-high letters.

The attack came a week after news that convicted paedophile Shaun Simpson (48), also of Hoylake Drive, had made a successful bid to have his sentence cut at London’s Court of Appeal.

A report of the hearing appeared in The Advertiser two weeks ago and the horrified couple believe that their home was targeted as a result in a case of mistaken identity.

Having painstakingly removed the insulting graffiti on Boxing Day, the pair now have erected their own sign in a desperate attempt to deter further attacks.

“We're scared that someone thinks a paedophile lives at our house and we could be the victim of all kinds of attacks because of a simple case of mistaken identity,” said the Hoylake Drive resident, who asked to remain anonymous.

Police were called in after the graffiti was discovered and CCTV footage was retrieved from the property’s security system revealed that the culprit—a man wearing jeans and a hooded top—struck shortly after 3am on Christmas Day.

An increased police presence was also committed to the area in an attempt to deter future attacks and alleviate the couple's anxiety.

“When we got up on Christmas Day, I opened the curtains and I thought that someone had sprayed our front window with snow spray,” said the shaken Hoylake Drive resident.

“When I realised what it said, I felt really intimidated.”

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