A reward of up to £3,000 is being offered by the independent charity Crimestoppers after a bucket-sized concrete block was thrown from a bridge onto the A12 near Chelmsford, seriously injuring a car passenger and the driver. Essex Police are treating the incident as attempted murder.

The crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers, which allows people to give information 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via a secure Giving Information Form has stepped in with the reward to help catch the offenders. The reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible.  

The incident happened on the A12 just after 10pm on Thursday last week,  December 1, at the West Hanningfield Bridge near Galleywood. A cylindrical-shaped block smashed through the windscreen of a car, coming to a rest in the footwell.

The occupants, a 56-year-old man and his 57-year-old wife from Harold Hill in east London, were injured. The woman suffered fractures to her face and ribs as well as internal injuries. She remains in a stable condition in hospital with her husband by her side. He suffered minor cuts and bruises.

About half an hour before their ordeal, a similar concrete block smashed the windscreen of another car as it drove under the nearby Fryerning Lane Bridge. The occupants, a mother and daughter aged 48 and 26, escaped unharmed but were said to be shaken by the experience. Forensic examinations of items recovered from the bridges continues as does work on identifying any definite links to over 30 similar incidents on A12 Essex bridges during the past three years.

A 'mindless attack'

Ann Scott, Eastern Regional Manager for Crimestoppers said: “This mindless attack has resulted in some life changing injuries for an innocent woman out enjoying the day with her husband. The shocking pictures demonstrate the damage and potentially fatal consequences this could have had. Please come forward to the independent charity Crimestoppers so this awful crime can be solved. Has someone confessed to being involved in either incident? Did someone display unusual behaviour that night? Perhaps someone witnessed the events or saw suspicious activity in the area around that time? Do you have information about other similar incidents over the past three years? Do you know where the concrete blocks have come from? Crimestoppers wants to receive any information no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Stuart Rawlins, Chair of the Essex Committee, added: “You have nothing to fear by contacting Crimestoppers with information. We never ask for your name or any personal details. We do not trace your call or IP address and we do not record your call. You won’t have to give a statement, speak to the Police or go to court – we only want to know what you know, not who you are. In the 23 years that Crimestoppers has been running we have never broken our anonymity promise and no-one has ever been identified”.

Rewards can only be claimed for information provided to Crimestoppers that leads to an arrest and conviction through our anonymous number 0800 555 111. Alternatively, you can provide information by using our Giving Information Form but rewards cannot be claimed this way.

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For further information please contact Ann Scott, Eastern Regional Manager for Crimestoppers on 07825445720 or ann.scott@crimestoppers-uk.org.

For questions about the Police investigation please contact the Essex Police Press Team on 0300 333 4444 x 50623.

Notes to editors

• Crimestoppers is an independent charity which helps the police to solve crimes, making communities safer. It does this by operating the 24/7 telephone number 0800 555 111 which people can ring to pass on information about crimes anonymously. They can also use our ‘giving information’ form via our website www.crimestoppers-uk.org
• Around 22 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers. One person every nine days is charged with murder.
• Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has received over a million actionable calls, resulting in 99,130 arrests and charges. Over £112 million worth of goods has been recovered and over £185 million worth of drugs.
• In 2005, Crimestoppers launched the UK’s Most Wanted on its website which allows the public to view images of criminals and pass on vital information about their whereabouts. It has been highly successful with over 869 arrests to date from 3903 thousand appeals posted.
• Crimestoppers UK was founded by Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, Chairman of Trustees. In 1988, he launched Crimestoppers in the Metropolitan Police area. Crimestoppers ‘call to action’ is built on a three-way partnership between the business community, the police and the media.
• Charity number: 1108687