A nine-year-old boy has been left too traumatised to go upstairs after his mum's car was torched by two masked men on their driveway.
Sarah Kemp, 38, said she and her son were woken in the early hours of Friday morning by banging on their front door as flames tore through the Audi Q7 parked outside. The fire, started by two men dousing petrol onto the vehicle, was so fierce it melted the doorframe and caused the plastic window frames to blister and the glass panes to crack.
Sarah believes that if it wasn't for the fact her neighbours alerted her at 1.30am on September 30 then her whole house would have gone up in flames with her and her son still inside. She said the flames were dangerously close to the gas mains at the front of the house.
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"The car was torched and the front of the house was all melted," she explained. "The flames were just metres away from the gas mains." The whole attack was captured by CCTV cameras and Sarah said it showed what happened "as clear as day".
"They were two men with masks on," she claimed. "They are standing back pouring petrol on the car and lighting rags and throwing them on. The CCTV shows it all clear as day."
Sarah, who lives in a "nice area" in Bassaleg, Newport said she called Gwent Police immediately but their slow response meant vital evidence was likely to be lost and with it the prospect of capturing those responsible. She claimed it took until 11.30pm on Friday night for an officer to arrive and then they called round again at 4pm on Saturday.
"My little boy is traumatised by it," she continued. "I took him to our caravan on Friday night because he was so scared. We woke up to my neighbours banging on the door and if it wasn't for them we would be dead."
She added: "I've got a traumatised little boy who wont go upstairs on his own now." Sarah's partner bought the Audi on finance as a birthday gift for her. But she'd barely driven it because it had been riddled with faults "from day one" she explained.
Sarah said she'd handed over the CCTV footage to Gwent Police and had raised a complaint with the Police and Crime Commissioner about the slow response rate from the force. Her car is still on the driveway she said meaning she is still faced with the sight and smell of the charred and melted shell every time she opens her front door.
"I'm so angry," she said.
Gwent Police said, "We received a report of a car fire in Fallow Close, Bassaleg, at around 12.35am on Friday 30 September. The cause is the fire is believed to be deliberate.
"Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information, including CCTV or dashcam footage, can call 101 or send us a direct message on social media, quoting log reference 2200331197. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously with details on 0800 555 111."
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