disorderlyvision
07-26-2009, 08:47 PM
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1202182/Company-director-arrested-attempted-murder-rescuing-son-beaten-yobs.html
A company director has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after confronting a gang of yobs who were attacking his stepson.
Colin Philpott, 58, allegedly stabbed a 16-year-old in the chest during the incident in the front garden of his £500,000 Tudor-style house.
He had awoken late on Friday night to discover stepson Alex Lee being beaten by the group of teenagers.
Mr Lee, 25, had gone outside to stop the gang from vandalising Mr Philpott’s Jaguar car. Mr Lee was said to have then been punched and kicked in the head, suffering a broken nose and concussion for which he needed hospital treatment.
Speaking after his release on bail, his stepfather Mr Philpott, who owns an escalator cleaning company, described how he had gone downstairs to find the gang on the doorstep.
'I was asleep and I awoke to hear a noise outside. When I appeared at the door I was set upon by them, as a result of which one of the youths received several stab wounds,' he said
'My wife appeared and I asked her to call the police and the ambulance service. They arrived shortly afterwards and I was arrested.
'It was traumatic but I was very well treated by the police. I have to return to the police station in September.
'At the moment I am not too worried about it but has been difficult, particularly for my wife, I must say.'
He went on to claim his Jaguar had been vandalised on a number of occasions and youths often congregated in the area.
Mr Philpott's wife Susanne, 51, had earlier described how her husband had rushed out to defend her son with a letter-opener he had grabbed from a shelf. It was then that the teenager was allegedly stabbed five times. He was taken to hospital and was last night said to be stable.
When police arrived at the five-bedroom house in Crowthorne, Berkshire, Mr Philpott was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Five youths, aged 16 and 17, were arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage.
Mrs Philpott said: ‘My son and I came out at about 11pm after hearing a bang and we saw two young guys outside our house.
‘They returned 15 minutes later – with three others – and all were visibly drunk. I took a digital camera and told them that if they vandalised anything else I’d take pictures as evidence.
‘One said that he would kill me and burn down my house. I was terrified and when Alex tried to calm him down, the other four got worked up and they all attacked him. Alex ended up on the ground with all five of them on him, kicking him in the head and stomach. I was so frightened for him that I screamed for Colin, who was in bed.
‘He came running out – still barefoot and half asleep – and saw the mess Alex was in so ran back into the house. He grabbed the first thing he saw, which was a letter-opener, and confronted the boys.
‘They attacked Colin and I saw one stumble into the road as Colin screamed for me to call the police. When the police arrived and then arrested Colin, I was gob-smacked.
‘It was heartbreaking to see him handcuffed and carted off like a common criminal. He is a hardworking, honest family man and was only trying to protect us.’
The mother of two, who works as a training consultant, said the quiet neighbourhood had been blighted by teenagers attacking cars and defacing gardens for several months.
She claimed that just days earlier, Mr Philpott’s £30,000 S-Type Jaguar had been smothered with hair gel while it was parked on the driveway.
‘We have had lots of trouble with vandals and they have targeted us twice within a week. The worst thing is that I am now terrified in my own home.
‘The police have installed a panic button but I still don’t feel safe. My husband and I had a holiday planned but now I wouldn’t feel safe leaving my 22-year-old daughter on her own.
‘I just can’t get over how one minute you’re happy and everything is fine and the next your life has been turned upside down by some mindless yobs.’
Terry Brenner, a 55-year-old pipe fitter, described how he was walking past the scene of the stabbing at about 11.30pm. Mr Brenner said: ‘The son was sitting on the doorstep and had facial injuries. The ambulance had already taken away the injured boy and the police had taken away Colin.
‘Susanne was with her son and the policeman came over and said the father could be prosecuted for attempted murder. The poor lady just collapsed.
‘That’s when the policeman realised that someone else had been injured and he called an ambulance for her son.’
One neighbour said that Mr Philpott’s green Jaguar had been discovered the day before the incident covered in a white substance.
Others said some badly-behaved teenagers used the modern housing estate as a cut-through to get to a nearby park.
One said: ‘They act like yobs and are bullies. I am so upset at what has happened to my neighbour. He’s a lovely man.’
Other residents said gangs of youngsters had ripped up flower beds, thrown eggs at them and thrown objects through open windows. Neighbours have reported the anti-social behaviour to the local council and a councillor is said to have asked Thames Valley Police to take action.
Last night the force confirmed that Mr Philpott had been released on bail, pending possible charges.
A company director has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after confronting a gang of yobs who were attacking his stepson.
Colin Philpott, 58, allegedly stabbed a 16-year-old in the chest during the incident in the front garden of his £500,000 Tudor-style house.
He had awoken late on Friday night to discover stepson Alex Lee being beaten by the group of teenagers.
Mr Lee, 25, had gone outside to stop the gang from vandalising Mr Philpott’s Jaguar car. Mr Lee was said to have then been punched and kicked in the head, suffering a broken nose and concussion for which he needed hospital treatment.
Speaking after his release on bail, his stepfather Mr Philpott, who owns an escalator cleaning company, described how he had gone downstairs to find the gang on the doorstep.
'I was asleep and I awoke to hear a noise outside. When I appeared at the door I was set upon by them, as a result of which one of the youths received several stab wounds,' he said
'My wife appeared and I asked her to call the police and the ambulance service. They arrived shortly afterwards and I was arrested.
'It was traumatic but I was very well treated by the police. I have to return to the police station in September.
'At the moment I am not too worried about it but has been difficult, particularly for my wife, I must say.'
He went on to claim his Jaguar had been vandalised on a number of occasions and youths often congregated in the area.
Mr Philpott's wife Susanne, 51, had earlier described how her husband had rushed out to defend her son with a letter-opener he had grabbed from a shelf. It was then that the teenager was allegedly stabbed five times. He was taken to hospital and was last night said to be stable.
When police arrived at the five-bedroom house in Crowthorne, Berkshire, Mr Philpott was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Five youths, aged 16 and 17, were arrested on suspicion of assault and criminal damage.
Mrs Philpott said: ‘My son and I came out at about 11pm after hearing a bang and we saw two young guys outside our house.
‘They returned 15 minutes later – with three others – and all were visibly drunk. I took a digital camera and told them that if they vandalised anything else I’d take pictures as evidence.
‘One said that he would kill me and burn down my house. I was terrified and when Alex tried to calm him down, the other four got worked up and they all attacked him. Alex ended up on the ground with all five of them on him, kicking him in the head and stomach. I was so frightened for him that I screamed for Colin, who was in bed.
‘He came running out – still barefoot and half asleep – and saw the mess Alex was in so ran back into the house. He grabbed the first thing he saw, which was a letter-opener, and confronted the boys.
‘They attacked Colin and I saw one stumble into the road as Colin screamed for me to call the police. When the police arrived and then arrested Colin, I was gob-smacked.
‘It was heartbreaking to see him handcuffed and carted off like a common criminal. He is a hardworking, honest family man and was only trying to protect us.’
The mother of two, who works as a training consultant, said the quiet neighbourhood had been blighted by teenagers attacking cars and defacing gardens for several months.
She claimed that just days earlier, Mr Philpott’s £30,000 S-Type Jaguar had been smothered with hair gel while it was parked on the driveway.
‘We have had lots of trouble with vandals and they have targeted us twice within a week. The worst thing is that I am now terrified in my own home.
‘The police have installed a panic button but I still don’t feel safe. My husband and I had a holiday planned but now I wouldn’t feel safe leaving my 22-year-old daughter on her own.
‘I just can’t get over how one minute you’re happy and everything is fine and the next your life has been turned upside down by some mindless yobs.’
Terry Brenner, a 55-year-old pipe fitter, described how he was walking past the scene of the stabbing at about 11.30pm. Mr Brenner said: ‘The son was sitting on the doorstep and had facial injuries. The ambulance had already taken away the injured boy and the police had taken away Colin.
‘Susanne was with her son and the policeman came over and said the father could be prosecuted for attempted murder. The poor lady just collapsed.
‘That’s when the policeman realised that someone else had been injured and he called an ambulance for her son.’
One neighbour said that Mr Philpott’s green Jaguar had been discovered the day before the incident covered in a white substance.
Others said some badly-behaved teenagers used the modern housing estate as a cut-through to get to a nearby park.
One said: ‘They act like yobs and are bullies. I am so upset at what has happened to my neighbour. He’s a lovely man.’
Other residents said gangs of youngsters had ripped up flower beds, thrown eggs at them and thrown objects through open windows. Neighbours have reported the anti-social behaviour to the local council and a councillor is said to have asked Thames Valley Police to take action.
Last night the force confirmed that Mr Philpott had been released on bail, pending possible charges.