Businesses and flats in Lea Bridge Road were daubed in red paint for a second time yesterday, reports Marco Marcelline
Residents in Lea Bridge Road, Walthamstow woke up to a fresh red paint attack yesterday morning (3rd June). It marks the second time in less than three weeks that vandals have targeted the same row of flats and businesses.
Neighbours and business owners told the Echo yesterday that they believed “Chinese mafia” was responsible for the vandalism, which included “brothel” graffiti on the pavement and on a front door.
CCTV of the incident from a neighbouring business shows a lone woman, who appears to be of East Asian descent, spray-painting a phone number and the word “brothel” on the pavement outside the main targeted property.
The woman, who is masked and sporting glasses, repeatedly pauses to look at her phone before returning to graffiti the pavement.
In separate footage obtained by the Echo, someone who is partially out of shot appears to be lobbing paint at the flats and shops, which include a William Hill, a café, and a barber’s. A semi-detached house was also struck with red paint.
CCTV from the first attack, on Friday 16th May, showed two women vandalising properties on the street and writing “brothel” on the front door of a residential property.
Both incidents happened between 3am and 4am.
The act of engaging in sex for payment is legal, but owning or managing a brothel, and pimping, are illegal.
The Echo visited the scene yesterday and heard several locals, including neighbours, business owners, and a property landlord, give their response to the claims being made by the vandals.
One local resident, who declined to share his name, said: “Neighbours all know but people are scared [to talk].”
Adding that he “often” saw men being let into the property at night, he claimed the police had been made aware of the allegations but “aren’t taking any serious action to close it”.
A business owner said he also believed the allegation was true and claimed that the “Chinese mafia” was involved or linked to its operation. He said that on Sunday (1st June) someone he described as a “well-dressed Chinese man” attended the flat while “bodyguards” sat in a nearby parked vehicle.
A man was standing outside the main targeted flat yesterday afternoon but, speaking with a Chinese accent, declined to comment.
He and another man were later seen attempting to clean the red paint and “brothel” graffiti off the front door.
Another local told the Echo he saw “Chinese women” leaving that flat with suitcases yesterday evening.
The red paint attack is the fifth in Walthamstow since 13th March, when attackers vandalised residential homes in Cazenove Road. A follow-up identical attack in Chingford Road the following week was then repeated in Hoe Street in mid-April.
Several identical incidents in Leyton and Leytonstone in February also left residents shaken. In every single incident, vandals graffitied “[House/Flat X] is a brothel” on a property before smearing red paint on surrounding homes or businesses.
They also put handwritten notes through letterboxes alleging a house on the street was a brothel.
The Metropolitan Police has previously stated there is “no firm evidence” that any of the targeted properties have been brothels.
Daubing red paint on doors is reportedly a tactic currently used by Chinese Triad gangs to intimidate debtors.
The gangs also target the debtor’s family, friends, or neighbours in a further attempt to intimidate them into paying back their debts.
The Met was contacted for comment.
Khevyn Limbajee, Waltham Forest Council’s cabinet member for community safety, said: “The police are actively investigating the spate of vandalism that has affected properties not just in Waltham Forest but across the country. We are supporting this investigation in any way we can, including sharing any CCTV footage we capture and passing on intelligence from members of the community that may be relevant.
“These incidents cause great hurt and distress, not just to the households that are attacked but also for neighbours and passersby. We have made sure that targeted households are helped to remove the offensive graffiti and slogans and offered access to any extra support that they may require.
“Anyone with any information about these incidents should contact the police and share what they know to help prevent more of these upsetting attacks taking place.”
The Echo additionally understands that council officers visited the affected property yesterday (3rd June) to remove graffiti and provide advice to householders.
A Met spokesperson said: “Police were called at 11.41am on 3rd June following reports of criminal damage on a property in Walthamstow.
“Officers attended the scene at Lea Bridge Road, where red paint was allegedly thrown at the front door of a private property early that morning. No arrests have been made. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Please call police on 101 with the reference 3206/3Jun if you have any information
You can find information on how to report modern slavery on the council’s website
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