Featured Image Credit: 7News
Topics: Crime, World News, Australia
Emily Brown
A couple from Queensland have been left devastated after their nearly-completed dream home was entirely trashed by vandals just one month before they were set to move in.
The couple, who have asked not to be named, were looking forward to starting their lives in their new home in Mango Hill, north of Brisbane, after construction began in September last year.
They were set to get the keys next month, but now both the inside and outside walls, as well as worktops in the home, have been vandalised with graffiti, windows have been left completely shattered and there are holes in the walls.
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CCTV footage caught what appeared to be a group of young people coming and going from the property on multiple occasions, the homeowner told 7News.
The damage is believed to amount to thousands of dollars, and looks so bad that one of the new owners can't even face looking at it.
“It’s been a tough few days,” the other homeowner said.
"My partner can’t even come and look at the house because it’s just so devastating," they continued. "We’re at breaking point now in terms of what we’re supposed to do as a community to stop these people.”
Images from the home show graffiti in various colours covering the outside walls, garage and front door of the new home.
Inside, huge chunks of the once clean, white wall are completely missing, and more graffiti covers the walls and kitchen island.
Sharp glass protrudes from the edge of the window where it has been smashed, and dirt and shards of glass cover the floor of the property.
The home appears to have been surrounded by a fence at the back, but large windows covering one wall of the home have also been smashed through, leading in to the back garden.
Neighbors at the new estate development have claimed the couple's home isn't the only one to have been targeted by vandals, as other worksites have also experienced damage as a result of people entering the sites.
Queensland police have now launched an investigation into the property damage. They are yet to confirm anyone responsible.
It is a criminal offence in the state to damage property intentionally and without lawful excuse, with anyone found guilty of defacing property with graffiti at risk of being charged with willful damage, which is punishable with five years in prison.
It is also an offence to possess an aerosol spray or marker which is being used for graffiti, or is suspected of having been used for graffiti.