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Sir Fred Goodwin's home vandalised by mystery anti-banker activists
Jonathan Prynn25 Mar 2009
THE home of former bank boss Sir Fred Goodwin was attacked by vandals early this morning.
Windows were smashed at the former Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive's Edinburgh villa.
Windows of a Mercedes S600 parked in the driveway were also broken. No one was at the house at the time of the attack.
A group issued a statement to a newspaper today claiming responsibility for the attack.
Sir Fred, the most prominent of the former bankers blamed for leading Britain's high street lenders to ruin, is at the centre of public fury over his £703,000-a-year pension.
The statement said: "We are angry that rich people, like him, are paying themselves a huge amount of money, and living in luxury, while ordinary people are made unemployed, destitute and homeless. This is a crime. Bank bosses should be jailed. This is just the beginning."
Police were examining the statement today. A police car stood guard outside Sir Fred's home this morning as two crime scene experts from the Scottish Police Services Authority inspected the damage.
Three smashed ground-floor windows of the stone villa were visible, as were the damaged rear and passenger windows of the dark-coloured Mercedes saloon.
Sir Fred has been heavily criticised for refusing to give up any of his £703,000-a-year pension after his departure from RBS last October. He has even considered leaving the country because of his "hate figure" status. RBS has continued to pay for his personal security, including CCTV monitoring of his home.
One of his neighbours said the attack on his house was wrong but she had little sympathy for him. The woman, who gave her first name as Deirdre, said: "Sympathy? Exactly the opposite.
"If I was him I would have refused to have all this money and I would be mortified at what had happened to the bank.
"I think it's wrong, but I can understand if you lose your job and everything. He is getting millions which he doesn't need.
"If I was him I would take virtually no money and I would try to support more people in jobs."
She added: "He was a bit of a nuisance when he had security guards around and so on but as far as we were concerned we didn't have anything to do with him."
Sir Fred and his family were said to be "shaken" by the attack.
An RBS spokesman said today: "We are aware of the incident but it is a matter for police. There are security arrangements in place for Sir Fred, as is normal practice for departing executives. As we've said before, they will be reviewed in the coming months."
Sir Fred has rejected government pressure to accept a reduction in his £16million package. His payout was branded "obscene" and "grotesque" by MPs and "unjustifiable and unacceptable" by Gordon Brown.
Asked if the Prime Minister had sympathy for Sir Fred, a No10 spokesman said: "On the specific question of damage to his property, there can be no excuse for people breaking the law."
Reader views (18)
I have no sympathy for such an obscene greedy man. Look at history when the law is helpless to provide justice people will take it into their own hands. When people lose their homes and frustrations build up he will become a target even more.
I have never broken the law but my instinct was to pat the perpetrator on the back and buy him a drink.
- Paul R Tavener, Beccles Suffolk, 03/04/2009 06:38
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The problem here is that even more of our money will now be wasted on policing people like this despicable man who has no shame. I'm against violence per se but can understand how anger needs to be expressed when there doesn't seem to be any way he can be made to acknowledge his greed and act appropriately.
- Patti, Gloucester UK, 26/03/2009 12:35
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What does he expect.
- Mike, London England, 26/03/2009 09:08
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Mr Brown is spineless and will not do anything about the millions of pounds Sir Fred got for busting the RBS.It now looks like the people are taking the Law into their hands.
- Stan White, leeds, 26/03/2009 05:10
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Why have we no activists telling the lying thieving politicians who got us in this mess and are stealing millions of pounds every year through fiddling their expenses that they have to stop ?? It seems that the Government is happy to have the attention on the bankers at the moment especially with all the ministers who are stealing from the tax payer to line their pockets. Yes the bankers have been both reckless and greedy but in now way as greedy and reckless as the politicians!
- Duncan Walker, Ex Peckham now Thailand, 26/03/2009 04:38
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I cannot feel sorry for this crooked Banker, if Mr Brown wasn't spineless, he would not let this man walk away with the millions of pounds for busting the RBS.
- Stan White, leeds, 25/03/2009 22:53
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He still has a house.
- Pd, London, England, 25/03/2009 21:18
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t'is a measure of the public hatred of the man and his ethics. whilst one cannot condone such actions,it is no surprise. if anything the surprise is that more such figures with dubious 'achievements' and ' morals' haven't yet been targeted.
if we have a hot summer, the cities will erupt in righteous indignation and the public hatred will focus on the bankers, politicos and other such people who are perceived to have led us to the brink of desperation.
their indifference and denial of their part in the present economic circumstances and their blatant greed in taking bonus for failure is the source of great resentment and throughout history the baying mobs have sought 'revenge'.
- M.O'Brien, london.uk, 25/03/2009 17:05
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Pointless and vindictive.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, Hants, 25/03/2009 15:41
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Set-up-job, totally.
- John, Llandudno, Wales, 25/03/2009 14:53
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Why are RBS (ie. the Tax Payers) providing security? Surely he can afford it himself
- Jim, London, 25/03/2009 14:51
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hmm....bet the damage doesn't cost as much as Freddie and his ilk did to my RBS shares...
- James, london, 25/03/2009 13:47
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Under the legal rule of law of this country and agreed by government ministers 'Sir Fred' got his money justly, no matter if he doesnt deserve it. A contract or agreement must be legally binding. If he wants to give it back to tax payers all well and good. But if he doesnt then what kind of society are we if we change the law in retrospect. This opens the floodgate to a total break down in democracy and a form of dictorship that eventually will hurt all honest and free minded people. Maybe the people who agreed to his cunning demands should be on trial.
- Bondy, London, 25/03/2009 13:41
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I know top bankers made a hash of things but has anyone looked at a key culprit's role..Gordon Brown and his so called tripartite regulatory framework...this arrangement was caught sleeping on the job...regulators are there to prevent these things from happening...for the government to blame bankers is like the Met blaming criminals for an upsurge in crime...the FSA and the Treasury were not up to the job..
- Toks, London,UK, 25/03/2009 13:06
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Should someone have called the Karma Police?
- Keith, Kings Cross, London, UK, 25/03/2009 13:02
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Mr Goodwin can run but not hide forever. He has taken the money, whilst people are being reposessed, not a hint from him that his pension was lunacy, so Freddie what is it like to be running scared? for the rest of your life. Greed.
- Richard P, Eaton Bishop UK, 25/03/2009 12:47
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Oh dear Freddie, high price for such greed.
- C Cusano, Bedford, 25/03/2009 11:34
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Vandalism is wrong and should be totally condemned but some vandalism is less wrong and should be less condemned than others.
- Thomas, London, 25/03/2009 10:51
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