A mother and her young son were left terrified and forced to flee their home in the dead of night after a brazen and targeted arson attack on their vehicle, which saw flames threaten to engulf their property.
A Terrifying Night in Littleborough
The shocking incident occurred on Cleggswood Avenue in Littleborough, Greater Manchester, in the early hours of September 6. Luanne Gill, 35, was asleep with her 10-year-old son when her Land Rover Discovery was deliberately set alight on her driveway at around 1.15am.
Footage released by police shows two hooded suspects arriving in what is believed to be a Peugeot 3008 (2008-2016 model). At least one other person waited in a separate car. The pair are seen approaching the driveway, smashing the car's window, and using an accelerant to ignite the vehicle before making their escape.
Escaping the Blaze and Living in Fear
The resulting fire spread rapidly, with flames reaching as high as the roof of the family home. Luanne and her son had to evacuate immediately as the blaze scorched the front of the house, melting and smashing windows.
"It was so fast. The fire had spread to the house by the time the fire service arrived," Luanne told the Manchester Evening News. "My little boy's room is directly above where the car was and his windows were blown through as well."
The attack has left both mother and son traumatised. Luanne says she is now "haunted" and "too terrified to sleep," panicking every time she sees a car outside. Her son, Roman, was left frozen with panic when a car alarm went off recently, a direct consequence of the ordeal.
Police Investigation and Appeal
Greater Manchester Police are treating this as a targeted attack with no wider threat to the community. In the days following the incident, officers arrested a 42-year-old man on suspicion of stalking and conspiracy to commit arson. He has been bailed pending further enquiries.
Detective Constable Mel Jeffery from GMP's Rochdale district emphasised the severity of the crime: "We have released the 999 call and footage to quite simply show the sheer terror involved in such a vile attack... we are very, very fortunate that we are not talking about more serious consequences here."
Police believe the suspects' vehicle fled towards Hollingworth Road and could have headed for West Yorkshire or Lancashire. They are urging anyone with information, no matter how small, to come forward.
If you have information, you can contact police via 101 or their Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 205 of 06/09/25. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
