Knowsley Housing Trust sent a worker round to Oak Tower on Thursday (16 Oct 2003) to clean off graffiti which had appeared overnight on boards covering the front of the tower block. This was the fastest response most of us have seen regarding graffiti. Only last week I complained about a swastika which KHT have somehow chosen to ignore, also foul racist graffiti on the stairway is still visible. Why then would KHT respond so quickly to this particular graffiti? The graffiti names and shames a local heroin addict who stole off a pensioner who was found dead in the tower block. The picture above shows the graffiti, the name of the accused is hidden as the statement made could be construed as defamation. The graffiti was painted in about 5 different places. What concerns me is racist graffiti left up for over a year. Graffiti which I have had to clean myself - thanks in advance to KHT who will now owe me the sum of £2.50 for a small tin of black paint. A video of the removal of the swastika will be put up later.

KHT want to 'name and shame' but paint over graffiti which names and shames.

Knowsley Housing Trust themselves claimed they are 'set to name and shame those individuals involved in anti-social behaviour on its estates by circulating leaflets to nearby residents containing photographs of offenders' When will we see this happening? And remember, if KHT did name and shame people who robbed pensioners - what do they think we would actually do then? Have they thought through the consequences of their planned actions? Knowsley Council, the previous landlord, moved a succession of heroin addicts into certain tower blocks and pensioners flats whilst many pensioners were still living there. This happened in Oak Tower, and Annie Sanderson and other OAP's had to endure living next to some of these predatory scum. How many of these people did KHT name and shame? - The answer is NONE - they have shamed only themselves by their neglect of the elderly in these tower blocks. Ian West was sentenced to 10 months back in July 2003 after trying to cash Annie's pension book. If he is out of jail already - he has served approximately 3 months. A lot of people will be very angry if someone who committed such a serious crime is back out after serving less than a third of the sentence. Most of us think he should have got 25 years. He admitted stealing off an 80 year old woman and gets a slap on the wrist. No wonder we all think the LAW is a joke. The cops caught him - but they don't sentence him. There is not a cop on Merseyside who will agree 10 months was a fair sentence. It's a joke and we all know it. Imagine this had been YOUR grandmother or mother? Would you be happy?

Tenants left with no help to tackle problems.

Annie Sanderson was a vulnerable pensioner living in appalling conditions. On the day that Annie Sanderson was found dead in her flat in a Tower Block on Friday May 9th 2003, a Phone call to Knowsley Housing Trust was answered by someone, no doubt reading from a script, who told the caller that Knowsley Housing Trust were 'prioritising the vulnerable tenants'. They were too late for Annie. Tenants like Annie actually paid the sum of £4.26 per week to Knowsley Housing Trust, this money (it gradually increased to £4.26) has been paid since 1998, yet after a few initial visible patrols, the security was abandoned, and the promises made by Knowsley Council in 1998 regarding security were not honoured. Many would say the Tower Blocks have been deliberately allowed to go to ruin - meanwhile - people lives are destroyed. Tenants who could have prevented the blocks going to ruin, were ignored and given little back up. We were left to fend for ourselves against the tide of vandalism and anti social behaviour. Left to endure fires, broken lifts, burglars and junkies hitting up with hypodermic needles on the stairs. KHT didn't so much as apologise to a tenants injured by one of these discarded needles. This is the UK 2003. This is how we treat some of our pensioners in Kirkby.

The lonesome death of Annie Sanderson

The Police called up on Annie only to find her, according to the Echo's first report 'slumped behind the door', the Echo also stated that 'her body was lying in the living room' and also that the front door was 'insecure with marks around the lock'. It was initially reported that Annie may have lain there dead for up to a week. It was also reported that the police found Mrs Sanderson dead with her dress around her head "as though she had been searched".

"Mr West is ashamed at what he has done and has pleaded guilty." - Wests Solicitor Dave Matthews comments in the Echo.

Ian West, who was caught red handed trying to cash the dead woman's pension book, was initially arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. The charge was later dropped after West claimed to have 'found' the dead pensioners handbag and had 'tried to return it to her. Do you believe that? The odds of anyone actually burgling the flat then throwing away the handbag with a pension book still inside, is approaching fantasy, but either way, West stuck to his story - he claimed to have just found the handbag on the landing of Oak Tower - he could hardly deny trying to cash the pension book as he was witnessed by several alert staff in the post office plus caught on CCTV. West returned to the Post Office with Annie's Bus Pass after staff refused initially to allow him to cash the pension book.

Some despicable lowlife possibly burgled the flat and perhaps frightened this poor old lady to death, but we'll never know what happened, the powers that be are not interested. But you can bet your life if some VIP had suffered the same fate, the matter would not be as easily dropped. How much was Annie's life worth to the politicians?

Type Annie Sanderson in the Kirkby times search engine to see the previous articles regarding the matter.

Note - The Liverpool Echo has only 1 story still online regarding Annie - no details of sentencing are up.

Please keep Kirkby Times informed of any anti social crime in the community.