Much of the day preparing for Debbie's 16th Birthday Party which was mainly a success with 150 guests spending over £450 at Daniel’s bar but also subjected to violent gate-crashing by ‘Leeroy’ and friends. My property search was being thwarted by a former political adversary Peter Norman
A night's sleep and long chat whilst we walked the dog together about what accommodation I should try to find to replace the rented one in Park Way that Mr & Mrs Peter Norman have now declined to rent to me despite the satisfactory nature of my references. They still hold a big grudge over me unseating Peter from the District Council some four/five years ago!
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I ended up dictating a list of my required and preferred attributes which Wiggly typed up and was to circulate to all estate agents and rental agents in the St Neots area whilst I was over in Paxton helping to set up the party. I was not at all sure what type of reception to expect today but Diana was very busy cooking a hundred each, burghers and sausages for keeping in the hot cabinet for the party.
I helped fix a burst pipe in the conservatory and then supervised the installation of coloured Christmas Lights around the rear balcony, shrubs and garages as well as getting Debbie and her two house-guests to pitch in and help move and clean tables, put in light bulbs etc. I hoped to join the children for lunch but Diana was adement that I should go which hurt a lot.
Instead, I cleared out my office and did a lot of overdue filing. This worked all right then as Wiggly had been going around talking to the agents and was also available and hungry so we had lunch together. It was a further afternoon of work and then a trip to the gymn for her as I went back to The Hayling View to complete the party preparations.
The dog to walk and put in his kennel, a shave and wash/change using things that I still kept at the house and then ready. Diana told me that she wanted me there for the whole evening until the party finished in case of problems or trouble and so, having to tell Wiggly this and collect my computer from her place to try and get on with some work.
I called back to see her. She did not take the news well, revealing that Michael had been expecting to take her out that evening after seeing him earlier and she had a row with him when changing things to be able to see me instead. Now I was saying that I would be tied up and she was angry. She soon arranged to see him again and I was glad that I dropped by before she went out and partially made our peace.
This was fine otherwise I was afraid that she would have tried to get back at me through him. Even so, she did not want me to leave Sam in her shed for the evening. Back in good time to shave and change for the party and then watched with Diana in fascination as the guests started to arrive. Daniel had set up a computerised bar and was also organising his friends to man the gate and lots of money was soon being taken.
Di got me some tea and sandwiches and we sat and chatted in much beter humour than earlier when she did not want me to join the family. I could not get any work done in the end as I first managed things from behind the scenes; monitoring the toilet queues and ensuring that girls were escorted inside in pairs to other toilets in the house when things became too busy.
There were some 150 guests in the enclosed back garden as the evening wore on with a half dozen boys braving the slightly colder weather in the pool.
My first concerns were at the pool ball games becoming too boisterous and I decided to go out amongst the party-goers to calm things down and keep an eye on things. Two ear-ringed skinheads, the most worrying dubbed "Leeroy" were causing some concern by accosting other male guests and trying to cause trouble.
I kept a close eye on him, getting between him and other boys on several occasions and wondered how he came to be able to get in. The story was that he was known by Debbie's friend Charlotte Conroy but I could not find her to corroborate the story or otherwise.
As midnight and the close of the party approached I seldom left his side. I checked with both my God-daughter Emma (whose group had been accosted by Leeroy) and Daniel (who had met Leeroy when on holiday in Tennerife as the evening went on and neither of them thought he amounted to a serious problem).
However he was and then took up a position by the gate as the guests left and was trying to intercept boys he had marked for a hiding or fight.
I was concerned to match guests up with their lifts and parents and gloss over the alcoholic state that most of their charges had been left in.
In fact, Daniel and friends had taken over £450 at the bar. Then I came across an incident in one of the riverside plots where a boy had been punched and kicked by Leeroy and I stopped it and got them out and tried to discover what had happened but the victims sister did not want to take things further.
By this time, we had called the police who were also told the same thing. Most of the guests had gone by then but I did have to get some inside the house and then spirt them off to their taxi at 12.30am by the back route to prevent them getting beaten up.
I had just finished dealing with this and the police car had gone when Leeroy and his gang broke past our corden on the gate and then picked fights with Daniel's friends. Daniel and three others were injured in a series of cruel and sadistic attacks by individuals aiming clinical blows and kicks to inflict serious eye and cheek injuries.
It took Diana two further 999 calls to get the police back but by this time I had to deal with the situation in person by getting one after another of our people inside the house and behind a locked door; Gary Brock being the last.
I did this by using my authority and Sam on a lead and would have resorted to my gun from my car gun safe if I had to as a last resort. If I had no done that then there could have been very serious injuries indeed.
The police apprehended two of the men around Paxton and we gave them descriptions and identities of at least two more. In fact, we were all at the house until after 4.00am giving statements as the police ended up concerned at the extent of the affray once the full picture had been described. Poor Daniel's friend Toby had been punched and his head cracked against a wall and Diana had to take him to casualty.
Back eventually to Montagu Street where, Wiggly being asleep and me not very happy with her over her steam earlier in the evening, I chose not to wake her of even respond when she awoke.
This day's events had demonstrated how much I was needed as head of the family and, together with Wiggly's behaviour over Michael, gave me cause to rethink what I was doing.