Machete-wielding African thugs have been caught on camera smashing their way into a Melbourne home in a horrific case of mistaken identity that may be linked to the city’s “bar wars”.
Disturbing CCTV footage showed the three masked attackers, at least two of African appearance, using the banned weapons to smash a bedroom window and the front door of a house in Doncaster at about 4.45am on Monday.
The victim took refuge in the bathroom with her cat and activated an alarm, which Victoria Police said caused the three offenders to flee.
The woman, who lives alone, was warned by police two weeks the home may be targeted due to the previous owner, who is believed to be linked to Melbourne’s hospitality wars, 9News reported.
Melbourne has been rocked by a series of firebombings, shootings, kidnappings, home invasions and assaults carried out by a mysterious crime syndicate that police believe is connected to a Middle Eastern gang also involved in the city’s tobacco wars.
“I was terrified, I still am terrified,” the victim said, recounting how she woke up covered in broken glass from the shattered window.
Police stationed a mobile police unit outside the woman’s home after warning her, but the woman said: “I don’t feel safe at all.”
The attack comes after bar owners called for the army to be brought protect entertainment venues, amid fears the campaign of terror could shut down Melbourne’s nightlife completely.
“I genuinely believe Victoria Police is doing all it can but the reality is that this is going to get bad, really bad,” Bar20 owner Michael Trimble told the Sunday Herald Sun.
“The only option is the Army. I believe having ‘boots on the ground’ will prevent this from happening.
“What’s the point of the Australian Defence Force if we can’t use it to defend Australians?”
Another bar owner, who asked to stay anonymous out of fear for his safety, said: “What we as venue owners want is a presence of authority. If we can’t get it from our politicians and our police, then we have a right to turn to our armed forces.
“A presence doesn’t have to be heavily armed troops. What if we had some ADF vehicles – the bushmasters – parked in prominent places. We keep hearing that foreign crime gangs might be behind this so let’s defend the place. Bring us peace on the streets! Melbourne has never been as unsafe as it is today. When is this going to stop?”
Two others also backed the proposal, which could be implemented if the Victorian government seeks assistance from the ADF.
Header image: Left, right, the thugs smashing into the home (9News).
