Family and Friends Forum

Hi. I'm currently 6 months post-knock. I have reluctantly accepted that it's almost certain that my person will be named and shamed in the press if and when they get convicted. I have read comments from people who have said they had no trouble from vigilantes or neighbours, while others have unfortunately had trouble. Some have mentioned suffering violence and damage to property (cars set on fire, bricks and petrol bombs through the windows etc.) There are a few factors in my situation which makes me feel we are highly likely to experience trouble. One is that we live in quite a deprived area. The level of crime in the local area generally is also much higher than the national average. It seems to me that people in more affluent areas are less likely to have trouble. There is another thing specifically that worries me. We have a neighbour who we have had problems with in the past. I'll just say they have connections to the criminal underworld and are known to the police themselves. We try to keep our distance and try not to have any interactions with them. If they find out about what my person has done, I do not think it would be an exaggeration to say we would be at risk of very serious harm or death. The neighbour would either do it themselves or get one or more of their subordinates to do it. We would be sitting ducks, in effect.

I am trying to think of a way out. We would need to sell our current home first, which would be a problem as it's not exactly in a desirable location. We also wouldn't be able to move until after sentencing as if we moved before then, the new address would be published, so we would still be at risk. I don't know what we would do in the period between sentencing and finding a new place to live. I wanted to ask if anyone has gone to the extremes of moving away and changing their names after their person was sentenced. Please message me if you would prefer not to post about it publicly.