A student was left disappointed by the response of Cleveland Police after a fight outside her home in Middlesbrough left a man injured and two cars damaged.
Grace McCandless, 22, who lives on Falmouth Street in central Middlesbrough, said she heard a disturbance shortly after midnight on 7 December while getting ready for bed.
“I live on a busy street, so I hear noise all the time, but this felt much closer than normal,” she said.
Her housemate reported seeing people fighting outside, while a friend who was staying over later suggested someone had been thrown onto a nearby car during the altercation.
After the noise stopped, Ms McCandless and others cautiously looked outside, and saw a few items scattered across the street, including a bag, earphones, clothing and supplements.
They also discovered damage to both her car and her boyfriend’s, including a dented wheel arch and a dislodged licence plate.
“It looked like someone had been thrown onto the bonnet,” she said. “You could tell there had been a struggle.”
Ms McCandless, originally from Northern Ireland, contacted the Cleveland Police but said she was left frustrated by how the situation was handled.
“I’d never called the police before and didn’t really know what to expect,” she said. “They kept asking if I knew who was involved, which I didn’t.”
The following morning, she discovered blood on both vehicles and reported it but claimed she was asked to obtain CCTV footage from neighbours herself.
“I didn’t feel comfortable doing that, that’s the police’s job”, she added. “I don’t really know my neighbours, and some don’t speak much English.”
She later received a message saying the case had been closed after officers were unable to identify any suspects.
Ms McCandless said the victim later came to her door and told her he had been attacked by two men while walking home from the gym.
“He was clearly shaken and badly bruised,” she said. “I never saw a police officer in person.”
Cleveland Police was contacted for comment regarding Ms McCandless’ concerns but had not responded at the time of publication.
