CAR owners may breathe a little easier with the arrest of a Mount Martha man over a spate of late night tyre slashings last year.
The 25-year-old was nabbed by Somerville detectives after they “received some information”, Tuesday 19 May. The man is facing eight counts of criminal damage with more charges expected to follow.
The tyres of up to 40 cars parked outside their owners’ homes in Mornington and Mount Martha were allegedly slashed with a box cutter or sharp knife from September to December. More than one tyre was slashed on most cars.
Black and white images captured on a resident’s CCTV camera at the time show a hooded man striding purposely along the street. (“Drivers let down by tyre slasher” The News 2/12/19).
One victim spent $1800 replacing nine tyres. “My daughter’s had seven tyres slashed and I’ve had two,” he said. “If there’s a next time I’m not even going to bother fixing it. I can’t afford any more tyre bills. The car can just stay out on the street.”
The man said his daughter was going to live elsewhere. “She’s just sick of the whole thing,” he said at the time.
Tyres were allegedly slashed on random nights, from just before midnight to around 1am, in Normanby Terrace, Marguerita Avenue, Fern Place, Walara Drive, Ramsay Court, Temple Court, Glenisla Drive, Dickenson Grove and Buxton Court.
At the time, Detective Senior Constable Alex Montgomery, of Somerville CIU, sympathised with frustrated owners “getting angry” at the inconvenience, with many finding it uneconomical to claim on their insurance as the $600-$800 excesses were about the same as the cost of two new tyres.
The man has been bailed to appear at the Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 11 November.
First published in the Mornington News – 26 May 2020
