Vandals destroyed home using wrecking ball

A home in Tasmania, Australia, has been flattened by vandals with an excavator and a wrecking ball. Between 11.30pm and midnight on Tuesday somebody climbed into the Lance and Jeanette Musgrave's rented excavator and took a wrecking ball to their property in Frankford. The couple were already reeling from an apparently accidental house fire several weeks ago. This had left standing the remnants of a home – two large sheds, manicured gardens, trees, fencing, a water tank, a sun room.

These were the foundations the Musgraves were using to rebuild their life on the hobby farm until Monday night’s bizarre incident. A shocked Mr Musgrave said the destruction would cost him $50,000 while police believe the totaled excavator - left dumped in a water tank- could cost twice that. ‘‘[The police] were in shock, they were actually in shock,’’ he said. ‘‘The person or persons responsible are out there in the community , the local community, and we’re horrified at that. How do you [continue]?’
Mr Musgrave said he didn’t know what prompted the attack however he would be moving his livestock in case the culprit returned. The couple have been living there for nine years carrying out home improvements, growing vegetables and tending to livestock. Last month’s fire, deemed to have been caused by an electrical fault, gutted most of the home. Northern forensic police attended the property to inspect the excavator which had become entangled in wire fencing.

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Northern CIB acting Inspector Ruth Orr said the placed looked like a ‘‘war zone’’. ‘‘It appears perhaps the person responsible knew what they were doing in terms of being able to operate an excavator to cause that amount of damage in a fairly short space of time,’’ she said. ‘‘It’d have to be something of a targeted plan.’’ Detectives are investigating the incident and have called for any witnesses or people with information to come forward. Detective Orr said the excavator would have been loud and an orange siren on its top would have been activated at the time.