Cardiff Councillor shares experience of threatening behaviour

A COUNCILLOR has shared her “terrifying” experience of having her door kicked in.

One of Cardiff Council’s ward members for Rhiwbina, Cllr Jayne Cowan, was shocked to discover her door had been kicked in “beyond repair” one evening three weeks ago.

On a social media post, she said the person who did it was part of a group and was wearing a balaclava.

“My concern was, if they would have kicked maybe a bit harder, they literally would have been able to kick the door off,” said Cllr Cowan.

“Then they could have actually got into the house and I just think that is terrifying.”

The councillor said she lives near a football pitch and can often hear loud noises in the evening.

“But this was a different bang,” she said.

“It was really loud and quite intense. Then, we went outside and saw that the door had been kicked in and was beyond repair.”

Only days before, Cllr Cowan said she’d had eggs thrown at her home.

She tweeted on November 1: “Following a few recent incidents, I was pleased to be told that @swpolice have identified the culprits who egged my house recently. They are still looking for the person (in a gang with others wearing balaclavas) who kicked my door in – resulting in needing a brand new door.”

On the incident involving Cllr Cowan’s house being egged, South Wales Police spokesperson said: “On Sunday October 2 at around 8pm officers responded to a report of anti-social behaviour at an address on Manor Way in Cardiff.

“Two teenage boys have been identified and issued with ASB referral notices. The matter remains under investigation.”

The police did not comment on the separate incident of Cllr Cowan’s door being kicked in when asked for information.

She, like many councillors across the country, has faced countless incidents of abuse and intimidation over the years.

At a Cardiff Council Standards and Ethics Committee a number of months ago, the councillor said she had once had her car kicked in, faeces rubbed on her house, and dead flowers delivered to her address.

However, Cllr Cowan saidshe takes “most of it in her stride”.

She added: “These people, I really do feel a bit sorry for them. The message really is we are going to find out who it is and the police will take them to task.

“But, it is not going to prevent me from doing what I am doing. I remain completely strong and in control of everything, so if they are trying to scare me it is not working.”