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Couple's Canterbury home trashed days before wedding

Dramatic photos show the extent of the damage caused to a couple's home just days before they tied the knot.

Blood splatters, broken furniture, and smashed mementos littered the Canterbury flat after a man broke in and wreaked havoc inside before falling form a third-storey window.

The living room was turned upside down
The living room was turned upside down

An estimated £15,000 worth of damage was caused to the property on the Old Tannery estate.

Shortly after, the man fell from a window following a reported stand-off with police officers, but no arrests have yet been made in connection with the incident.

Tracey and Marc Whitear married six days after the drama, but they will have to wait months until they can move back into the flat as repairs are being carried out.

“We won’t be going home this side of Christmas,” she said.

“It’s so disheartening. We’ve got two A4 sheets of paper listing the damage.

Utensils and furniture were thrown around
Utensils and furniture were thrown around

“It looked like someone had been hacked to pieces with blood everywhere

“As he was barefooted with cuts to his feet, everywhere he went he was taking blood with him. It was on the carpets, all the walls and even the ceiling.

“We had to get a specialist cleaning company out and bits of carpet needed to be cut out because of the blood.

“Random things like the oven door were pulled off, the fridge was chucked, and the extractor fan was pulled off the wall.

“Luckily no one was home so the only person who saw what was going on was Eric, my bearded dragon. Sadly he can’t tell us what happened.

“The man didn’t go through cupboards or try to steal anything - he just smashed everything.

Despite the disaster at home, the wedding still went ahead (18194766)
Despite the disaster at home, the wedding still went ahead (18194766)

“Luckily the wedding went really well and it was lovely to not think about what happened for one day.”

Emergency services rushed to the scene in Drying Shed Lane just after midday on September 1.

The air ambulance landed on the nearby Victoria Recreation Ground and a man in his 20s was taken to King’s College Hospital in London.

He has since been released and is said to be recovering from his injuries.

The wreckage in the Canterbury flat
The wreckage in the Canterbury flat

Investigators at the Independent Office for Police Conduct are now probing the involvement of officers in the incident ahead of the man’s fall.

Mrs Whitear, 41, who is currently living in temporary accommodation with her husband and teenage son, is frustrated that no arrests have been made.

“We are the victims and having to go through insurance to get this sorted - the insurers say it’s the worst they’ve ever seen,” she said.

“I’ve no idea who the man is and he’s ruined our home. It makes you feel rubbish.

“We’re certainly not happy he’s free wandering the streets. What’s stopping him from doing it again?”

Read more: All the latest news from Canterbury

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