Joanna Lumley came out of her house to see a group of men on motorbikes trying to break into her car. One of the men was sitting in the driver's seat and could not start the car, while the car's alarm was going off during the incident. The gang fled the scene, and the car was left with damage to its boot. The exact extent of the damage and whether it was the only damage remains unclear, and the specific model or details of the car that was targeted have not been disclosed. The exact date and time of the incident have not been confirmed.
Joanna Lumley's neighbor also came out during the incident, and both she and Lumley shouted at the gang to leave. A neighbor described yelling at the thieves to leave, at which point she realized Lumley had joined her and was doing much the same. The men obliged by leaving, leaving Lumley with damage to the car's boot. A thief described being unable to start the vehicle during the attempt.
All of these incidents are happening at nightfall, the moment it gets darker. We've been asking for CCTV for years and nothing has happened. It seems like neither the police nor the council will do anything about it. Three houses were broken in to in two days last month and we believe it's the same people coming back. On this occasion Joanna's husband heard the alarm go off. He came out, and then they threatened him with an iron bar. They threatened him with a big piece of metal.
The gang threatened Joanna Lumley's husband, Stephen Barlow, with an iron bar, neighbors reported. A neighbor described that on this occasion, Lumley's husband heard the alarm go off, came out, and was threatened with a big piece of metal. This incident is part of a series of crimes in the neighborhood, including car break-ins, with multiple reports indicating a broader context of local thefts.
In March, there were three break-ins in two days in the neighborhood, neighbors said. A Rolls-Royce was broken into a month or two ago on the same road, and neighbors have reported incidents involving thugs on motorbikes. A neighbor described that all these incidents are happening at nightfall, with three houses broken into in two days last month, believed to be the same people coming back. The neighbor added that they have been asking for CCTV for years without action from police or council. Whether the gang was indeed an 'Eastern European gang' as alleged by some neighbors has not been verified by authorities.
It does happen a lot. There was a time a while back when somebody slashed all the tyres of the kind of bigger cars, the 4x4, you know, thinking, posh people. I saw the silver Mercedes van, which had its door left open last week. They'd obviously tried to get in and run off. Joanna has a few cars with her husband, but I don't know which one they tried to break into. I did hear the motorbikes, they were really revving, and I thought they were just chasing each other round and round the square, that it was kids being idiots.
The police warned local residents on March 28 about a series of car break-ins, a neighbor confirmed. A Metropolitan Police Service spokesperson stated that tackling car theft and other neighborhood crime remains a priority, with strengthened neighborhood policing and more officers focused on targeting prolific offenders. The spokesperson added that across London, vehicle crime, including theft and damage to vehicles, is down by almost 15% compared with this time last year. Whether the police have identified or arrested any suspects in Lumley's case is unknown.