A retired couple from Maidstone have told how their lives have been devastated after a series on anonymous attacks.

Kay Lowe, 65, has been left so anxious that she has been put on tranquillisers by her doctor, while her husband Peter Lowe, 70, considers himself lucky to have escaped with only minor injuries after a completely unprovoked assault sent him to hospital.

The first incident occurred on the morning of Friday, September 19, when a neighbour knocked to ask did they know that paint had been thrown over the cars parked on their driveway?

Mrs Lowe said: "It was white oil paint. It covered both our cars, the drive, the wall and front door."

The pair who have lived in their house in Blendon Road on the Vinters Estate for 32 years were dumb-struck.

She said: "It was clearly deliberate and clearly aimed at us - no-one else had suffered any vandalism, but we were at a loss to know who would do such a thing or why."

The couple began the long process of contacting insurance companies and engaging professionals to clear up the mess.

But the paintwork on Mrs Lowe's car was so badly damaged, the insurance company wrote off the vehicle.

The police gave them a crime number, but didn't attend the scene.

As a precaution, the Lowes invested in a CCTV camera at the front of their home. It's as well they did.

A month after the first attack, the couple arrived home in Mrs Lowe's car to find a man banging on the front door.

When Mr Lowe opened the car door to ask what he wanted, the visitor asked: "Are you Pete?" and when told yes, he immediately started punching Mr Lowe through the open door.

Mr Lowe said: "He just laid into me. The first blow was the worst. It broke my glasses and cut my eye.

"After that I held my arms in front of me to protect myself and after he hit me about five more times he ran off."

The man turned right into Alkham Road. As soon as he recovered from the shock, brave Mr Lowe drove off after him, but could find no trace of his assailant.

Mrs Lowe said: "I'm afraid I was hysterical. It took a long time before I could calm down."

Police and ambulance attended and Mr Lowe, who has previously suffered a heart attack and has to take blood-thinning medicines, was taken to hospital for a CT scan.

He said:"The paramedics were concerned that a blow to the head such as I had could cause a bleed on the brain, which might have been the end of me."

The couple's CCTV clearly recorded the whole assault, but the attacker - a man in his 30s wearing jeans, a facemask and a Parka jacket with the hood up, was unknown to the couple.

Mr Lowe said: "The fact that he asked me 'Are you Pete?' suggests to me he didn't know me either. I think that he had been paid by someone to assault me."

The attack left the couple nervous. Mrs Lowe said: "Every noise at night and I am up looking out the window."

Mr Lowe said: "If I get three hours' sleep now, it's a good night."

Then Tuesday morning of last week - the same thing. A neighbour again knocked to say there was paint thrown over the cars.

This time the CCTV caught the perpetrator, but he was in scene for only a few seconds, and the picture is too grainy to identify him.

Mrs Lowe said: "He ran up with what looked like a coffee carton of paint in each hand and threw it immediately before turning to run off."

Both are convinced the paint-thrower is different from the one who carried out the assault.

Mrs Lowe who for many years has been chairman of the Vinters Park Residents Association, and until recently administrated the association's Facebook page, said: "There's just no sensible reason why anyone should have such a grudge against us.

"If we have upset someone in some way, I just wish they would come round and discuss it face to face."

'Who is doing this and why?..'

Mr Lowe said: "We keep asking ourselves, who is doing this and why?

"We're worried it will just go on and on. I think the only way this is going to come to a conclusion when the police catch the man behind it."

The couple marked their 45th wedding anniversary on Sunday.

Anyone with any information about the attacks is urged to contact Kent Police by dialling 101 and quoting reference 10-0148.

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