England and Hampshire cricketer, James Vince recently opened up on being attacked in Southampton. The Hampshire captain revealed chilling details about the attack on his home that even forced his family to leave their hometown in Southampton, which is situated in a village east of the city and the family has been living for some eight years now.
While speaking to The Telegraph, Vince revealed that his house has been attacked twice, within last three months. During his conversation he revealed that the first attack occurred in the early hours of April 15 when he and his wife rushed to the kids, aged seven and three. “My wife and I woke suddenly to a load of smashing and alarms going off. We had no idea what was going on and it was obviously very unnerving, so we rushed straight to get the kids to make sure they were safe. They were very shaken up,” Vince told The Telegraph.
The 33-year-old also informed that he had approached the authorities and till the time they reached, the assailants were nowhere to be seen. According to a witness, a vehicle was observed departing from the vicinity of the incident. He also revealed that the family was forced to vacate till the time the restoration takes on. The Hampshire captain then went on to speak that just a week after their return, another such alarming incident took place on May 1.
Vince added that he was awake at that time and ran downstairs to check on the happenings. “That meant I was able to get downstairs quite quickly and had more of a sense of what was going on. It wasn’t such a surprise either, because it had happened before. I think they saw the activity in the house and left quickly,” he further added.
The England cricketer, who cited one more instance of the same while the family was in attendance at a charity event in support of Chris Wood, he and his family were eventually forced to leave the place. “All the experts we’ve spoken to say it looks like a money issue, unpaid debts, or something. We have nothing to hide and know we have never been involved in anything like this. We just desperately want this to stop,” he added urging to stop such incidents.
Moreover, the CCTV footages of the incidents have provided some clues where a man with a torch passes bricks over a wall to another man, who then throws them towards the house and the cars. Vince hopes that the footage adds value to the police charges to identify the culprits.
We just desperately want this to stop: James Vince pleas for peace
The England cricketer also urged to stop such attacks, which have put risk to Vince and his family. “We don’t want to risk the same thing happening again. It’s not fair for my wife or children to have to go through it again,” he hopes.
“Something like this is hugely disruptive in our lives, especially for our children, who have understandably been affected and unsettled by the situation. Having said that, I am amazed and extremely proud of how they have dealt with it. We have received great support locally, and from withing cricket,” Vince further added. He also turned out to the public for help adding, “If anyone knows anything, or sees anything in the footage of the attack that could lead to anything, please contact us or Hampshire Police. It could be the live final piece of information we need to find out what is going on and get our lives back to normal.”