SINGER-Songwriter, Nikki Loy, a popular and regular performer at Thame’s First Thursday Music Club, has talking about her terror at being the victim of a drive-by shooting.
Writing on her website, Nikki wrote: “Luna Van Blanc (my van) and I were the victims of a drive by shooting! Sounds mad doesn’t it! Hard to believe but it happened.
“On Friday night (January 20), I pulled over beside Swanbourne Lake in Arundel to make some dinner and put away my laundry. I’d been stopped there for about two hours when I heard a car with a loud exhaust race by, and a BIG bang. I jumped out of my skin, it was so unexpected. Then a sound I remember from the break in last tour – Falling glass. My van was hit. I wondered what the hell happened. Nervously I investigated and discovered my kitchen window, the biggest and most expensive was shattered. Something from the passing car had broken it. As it was too high to be a ricocheted stone I had to presume foul play.
“I won’t lie – that properly scared me! So with heart pounding I jumped in the driver’s seat and started the engine. I spun Luna round to search the spot expecting to find a beer bottle or the like, there’s a pub just down the end of that dead end street. But there was nothing, no sign of any kind of projectile. I didn’t dare get out incase they came back and I wasn’t going to stay, so I drove on… I didn’t stop until I found a safe place near a friend. I was totally unequipped to board up the broken window in the middle of the night – I’d run out of everything. In the end a Jennifer Hamley handbag box and a lot of sellotape did the trick. It was not a fun job. It was -3 degrees out and a big hole in my camper was really the last thing I needed – that, wrecked travel plans for the week, and expensive repairs!
“The van also looked like I’d been burgled. Before I drive I usually go through a ‘tack down’ ritual where I basically put away everything that will move in transit. I was so freaked out and in such a hurry to get out of there that I didn’t tack down. What a mess to clear up! And with glass splinters in my fingers. By 1:30am I just about had everything sorted and managed to settle down and sleep.
“The next morning when I inspected the damage properly, I noticed the hole in the glass was perfectly round… And the insulation mat was also pierced. My CSI mind told me this was a bullet hole. So I searched through all the broken glass until I found a pellet. A horrible moment of realisation – I had been intentionally targeted. Someone in the car that passed me had wound down the window, taken aim and fired at my van on purpose!!!!! No accidental damage – It was willful intent! I was absolutely furious! That person had no idea what was the other side of that window or who they were harming. I could been a burly bloke or a pair of dainty old ladies on a retirement trip?! And they were very lucky I wasn’t standing by my cooker with the blind up or they would have hit me too!
“Before you ask, yes, I did report it to the police but disappointingly they closed the case immediately because I couldn’t give them any leads! Folks, I can’t leave it at that because… when I posted about my experience on the internet I found out other people had experienced similar incidents on the same road!
“I understand why the Police closed the case. I saw nothing; they have nothing to go on but I feel it is important for the whole community local to Arundel to whom tourism is so important, to know that some people are driving around at night blindly shooting into vehicles! Okay it’s only an air gun… but it’s a lot of damage, and a lot of hassle and money to fix and more importantly – It’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.
“As you know I love visiting Arundel; it’s a beautiful town but I am now scared to go back there until these people have been stopped. If you are local. I’m sure Sussex police would love to hear from anyone who knows anything about these incidents.
“Anyway, I am safe; I am warm’. Once again I have learned from my own poor choices that made me vulnerable… And I am telling the media because I want those little ******s stopped!
“Just gotta recover my brave before I go off on tour with Sam Bailey!”
