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BLASTED
BY NICK AHAD A POWERFUL firework wrecked a bedroom where a toddler would normally be sleeping.
Firefighters today said they believe thugs had deliberately targeted the bedroom.
The three-foot rocket smashed through a window into 20-month-old Olivia Attwood's bedroom and exploded, causing devastation to her room and damaging other parts of the house.
Mum Alex Ashley said: "I want whoever did this to come and see my lovely, happy, smiling, innocent daughter and see that they could have killed her.
"If she was in her bed, she would not be here now. They would have killed her."
The rocket smashed into Olivia's room in Belle Vue Road, Scholes, Leeds, at 10.15pm on Saturday. Half an hour earlier her mother had taken her downstairs after Olivia had trouble sleeping.
The firework tangled in the bedroom curtains before exploding, damaging the ceiling and sending shards of glass into the cot. A hole was also smashed in the floor of the landing and walls through the house were cracked by the blast.
"We were sitting down stairs and there was a crash. I could hear something fizzing and then there was an almighty explosion," said Miss Ashley.
Olivia's father, Sean Attwood, said: "It's unbearable to think what could have happened." He said there have been some problems locally with youths letting off fireworks for at least a fortnight.
This week the Government is due to announce plans for new legislation making it illegal to set off fireworks at anti-social hours and making it a criminal offence for people under 18 to carry fireworks in the street.
Gary Holmes, divisional officer of operations for West Yorkshire Fire Service, said: "If the baby was in the room when the firework exploded, we would certainly have been looking into a death.
"There is an increasing problem with the misuse of fireworks. There ought to be legislation brought in to tackle the problem."
Police are investigating the incident.
Anyone with any information is asked to ring police on 0113 2413259.
nick.ahad@ypn.co.uk
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Friday 25 May 2012
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