The quaint British town is plagued by a swan killing catapult epidemic

A small Surrey town is being plagued by a mysterious, catapulting ‘epidemic’ that has killed animals and damaged property – and some fear it could get worse.

Residents of Godstone in Surrey, home to just over 3,000 people, say they no longer feel safe after a spate of alarming catapult incidents in recent months. They claim that despite reporting several incidents to local police, the perpetrator responsible for launching rocks at houses, cars and even wildlife remains at large.

Recently, mourners attending a funeral were targeted by the attacker. Peter O’Connell, the rector of St Nicholas Church, told LBC how people at the funeral returned to their cars at the end to find broken glass and damage to their vehicles. He said: “I came out after the service and three cars, including mine, had their windows blown out. Especially for the mourners who are there to see off someone they loved – to come out and to experience such damage to their car – was quite traumatic.”

The church building itself has also been targeted, Mr O’Connell explained: “We had someone shoot something through one of the stained glass windows. It was the Christmas window, they managed to remove the figure of Mary that Jesus was right in the middle of the photo”.

Attempts have also been made to shoot tiles from the roof of the church, while one woman reported that one evening a large rock fell through the window of her house, narrowly missing her mother-in-law while her four-year-old daughter slept. bed upstairs.

Locals have spoken out about the incidents after they reached alarming new heights, leaving the animals mutilated and dead. Danni Rogers from the Swan Sanctuary explained how swans, waterfowl and other creatures were shot in the head. He remembers witnessing “exploded eyes, slit throats, broken skulls, damaged wings and broken legs.”

Danni claimed he had to pull dead swans out of the water while children who came to feed them watched. A range of animals have been targeted, including swans and ducks being blinded, as well as other birds including a peacock being killed, pigs being shot at and even a few cats being attacked.

Many local residents have expressed frustration at the ongoing problem and the failure of Surrey Police to bring the situation under control so far. One described local law enforcement as “disinterested,” while another claimed that police told him that if he felt able, he should try to confront the attacker if he was seen in action. One woman expressed concern that the people or individuals involved in the attacks could soon escalate and target people rather than animals.

A spokesperson for Surrey Police said: “We have received reports of incidents of catapulting offenses in the Godstone area. These include reports of individuals catapulting at birds as well as property and vehicles.

“The local team are aware of these issues and officers have increased patrols in the area, but no specific peak time or day has been identified when these offenses typically occur, making it more difficult to target these patrols most effectively.

“We know that slingshot offenses are under-reported and we would encourage people to always report these offenses, as well as any reports of people carrying slingshots and suspicious behavior, as this all helps to build a picture of what happening in the area. Are.

“Following a report of suspicious activity involving individuals carrying a slingshot, the CCTV was obtained and circulated both internally and on our Facebook page, appealing for information to assist us in identifying the suspects involved. Unfortunately, we have not been able to identify the individuals. these images so far – when we do, we will look at any interventions that can be made.”