For some unknown reason(s), bankers don't seem to be to popular these days. Probably a good chance that this incident is just the tip of the global iceberg. Gee, I wonder if security has subsequently increased for the G20 meeting in London next month?

Pity - VHF

-

Vandals target Sir Fred Goodwin's house and car

The Guardian

Jenny Percival

March 25, 2009

An anonymous email threatened further action against "criminal" bank bosses after the home of the former Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive, Sir Fred Goodwin, was attacked early today.

Lothian and Borders police were called to Goodwin's home in The Grange, an exclusive area of Edinburgh, at around 4.35am.

Thirty minutes later, emails were sent to media organisations by a group which reported the vandalism and threatened further action.

Goodwin has been at the centre of a row about the generosity of his £700,000-a-year pension. He stepped down from his job at RBS after the bank was propped up with £20bn of public money, which was later increased by an additional £13bn.

Three windows at the front of his £2m detached sandstone villa were smashed and the rear window of a black Mercedes S600, parked in the driveway, was destroyed. No one was hurt. Goodwin and his family were not at home at the time and are thought to be living abroad. The former RBS chief was said to be "shaken" by news of the attack while his friends reportedly said the people who vandalised his property had "gone too far".

Around 5am, emails arrived at the offices of the Edinburgh Evening News, Press Association and other media outlets saying that Goodwin's house "was attacked this morning" and giving the name of the street where he lives.

The email, sent from the address bankbossesarecriminals@mail.com, 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." The emails have been sent to the police, who said they would form part of their inquiry.

Two forensic officers arrived at Goodwin's home at 9am to inspect the damage. They spent 20 minutes taking photographs and collecting fragments. After 20 minutes they were joined by two CID officers. A police spokeswoman said inquiries were continuing and appealed for anyone with any information about the attack to come forward. It is not known if anyone was in the house at the time of the attack or who reported the vandalism.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she was unaware of the damage until she walked past the house. "I'm surprised that nothing has happened sooner as there has been so much publicity," she said.

"I feel sorry for his family but I think people's emotions are running very high. Like it or not, we are in a blame society and are always looking for someone to blame."

Another neighbour said: "It is shocking, that is totally unnecessary. Nobody deserves that."

It has been reported that RBS continued to pay for personal security for Goodwin following his departure from the bank, including CCTV monitoring of his home. 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." He would not comment on whether security measures were in place at the time of the vandalism.

A spokesman for Gordon Brown said today: "On the specific question of damage to his property, there can be no excuse for people breaking the law."

Goodwin, nicknamed Fred the Shred for cutting jobs and costs, was in charge at RBS for nine years. The prime minister has threatened to take legal action against Goodwin over his pension and said he shared the public's "anger" at the size of his payout, saying he was "considering every legal means at our disposal" to get some of it back. There have also been calls from some MPs for Goodwin to be stripped of his knighthood.