Black Country doctor thanks the public after vandals smashed every window on his car
A junior doctor has thanked generous members of the public for their help after vandals smashed his car windows outside his Black Country home.
The shocking incident left Abdul Farooq, 24, from Walsall, unable to work at New Cross Hospital, in Wolverhampton, after the attack late last month. Since then Dr Farooq, from Walsall, has been forced to catch Uber taxis to work while he gets a new car sorted.
But TV comedian Tez Ilyas came to his aid after hearing about Abdul's plight on social media. Tez, who presents The Tez O'Clock Show on Channel 4, launched a JustGiving page to buy Dr Farooq a new car. More than £3,500 has now been raised after an initial target of £1,500 was set.
Dr Farooq said: "There has been so much generosity coming from people across the UK but also, I think, internationally as well.
"Tez heard about what happened from my sister who put a post on Twitter. He reached out to me and phoned me [to help]."
Vandals smashed every window of his silver Ford Fusion on Friday, March 27, but he only discovered the incident when he left for work the following Monday, on March 30. His insurance said the repair bill would cost more than what the car is worth.
He continued: "Every single window was smashed. The rear view mirrors were broken. That was it. There was nothing to steal. I think they just did it for fun. There was bricks and rocks inside."
West Midlands Police has appealed for any witnesses to come forward. It is believed a CCTV camera captured the incident from a community centre near his home. However the centre is closed and Dr Farooq has been left frustrated because police have told him to get the CCTV himself.
"To me, it seemed a case closed," he said. "I got an email from police the next day saying 'The case has been closed. We don't have the facilities to go through the footage'.
"I understand their resources are limited but it seemed like a very simple crime to solve.
"They said 'If you can get the images, let us know'. But I am working here. It is not practical. I can't be a detective and a doctor at the same time."
In response the Express & Star's story, a West Midlands Police spokesman said: "We received a report of a car having its windows smashed in Small Street, Caldmore, sometime between 5.30pm on March 27 and 7.30am on March 30.
"We’ve asked if there are any CCTV possibilities which could be shared with us to identify whoever was responsible.
"Any crime is unacceptable but the allocation of investigators to a scene is assessed on what is proportionate given the severity, vulnerability and likelihood of catching those involved."
Anyone with information is asked to contact police and quote crime reference number 20WS/79343K/20.
To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dr-abdul
