St Boniface primary school, Tooting is behind my house and until recently I thought it was a normal pleasant school, I had moved was bringing up my own children, bringing my new house into a good state of repair and getting settled with full time work enough for anybody to take on, but if I had looked at the dark underbelly of life that the school chooses to allow through its property I never would have stayed here.

My garden was a disaster, not helped by the overgrown shambles the school for some reason I don’t understand calls it’s "nature garden", as I started clearing it I notice strange patterns, there would be a plastic bag usually with water (urine) on it to make the area smelly, under this would be some form of packaging usually white, then a plant pot to crunch and make a noise then finally at the bottom of this heap would be a brightly coloured ball, I suppose so the peeping tom/ paedophile burglars etc could tell if his den had been found or was safe to use again.

The area gives access to over forty houses in many of which live elderly people or are houses shared by younger people who are out at work all day. It also gives an escape route from the Tooting High road.

Yes I had discovered that I was living in the middle of a rats run, right in the nest, I cleared what I could from my area, cleared my delightful 82 year old neighbours garden, I suppose as I did so I upset the criminals using and maintaining the rat run, my house began to be crept on, spied on and I believe was entered and a set of my keys taken.

I approached St Boniface School thinking that someone from the school might be concerned and take steps to clear their side of the rat run and truth to tell it is mostly from the school’s side of the fence I went round to have a chat with the Head Teacher, she appeared to understand the seriousness of the situation and I showed her the area of concern, she used the usual line round here that it was broken by foxes. I explained to her in my best Wiltshire accent that foxes would not break a fence, and that she should remember where a fox could fit a small man could too.

At the point a very small, creepy man turned up, the head teacher explained to him that I was concerned that I had discovered a rat run, he went straight to the entry point which gives entry into my next door neighbours shed, which has a convenient hole in the roof covered by vines to provide a hidey hole for criminals, together with a hole from the school at ground level. A chill went right through me; it was obvious that this creep, in the employ of the school knew all about the rat run.

I tried not to react, as I felt sure this was an organised gang and who knows what they are capable of. I did however beg, and am not a woman to beg! The head teacher to inform the police of my fears and of what had just happened, I believed that she was genuinely concerned, she even left me a phone message saying that she had contacted the police and that someone would contact me on Monday, no one ever did.

I continued to try and keep the area clear, stepped up my security and worried about my dear sweet 82 year old neighbour, who I believed is safe when she is at home as she bolts every door, but when she goes out anyone who has a key can get in and hide, one of the neighbours who I believe is implicated feed her cat for her for two years running and had a key to the alley way beside my house when he should not have done.

However the prowling against me became even more aggressive and intrusive, I even saw and heard people at my kitchen window, my cats came home injured, plants in my garden died or disappeared altogether. I called the police who naturally took 20 minutes to arrive and as soon as they had left the prowlers returned.

Over last week end I cleared the area at the bottom of my lovely Eileen’s garden, last year I sawed off the branches of a lilac tree that she is fed up if, at the time I though that the branches grew strangely, twisted through the fence but I thought they would die and fall over the winter and Eileen could have a clear and open garden as she wants and not nasty smelly overgrowth coming over from the school.

When I cleared the area I found another den, quite a big one, that could be used to spy on not only my neighbours house but also my own and this den provides a safe and comfortable place for any paedophiles to watch the children from, I was horrified, could not bear to think of my beautiful Eileen who truly has the face and disposition of an angel being spied upon, crept on and perhaps much worse, I immediately e mailed the head teacher Siobhan Kerins and told her, naturally I expected the den to be removed straight away, however nothing was done and Ms Kerins didn’t even do me the courtesy of acknowledging my e mail.

Though that night my intruder light went on several times and I once again discovered plants had been stolen and two of my cats came home injured, one quite badly, the caretaker was asked by Eileen to clear the branches and he promptly cleared the wrong ones! Yet another e mail to the school, this time expressing my concerns that such a nasty little man should be allowed to grow a rat run on school premises, again no reply what so ever!

Tuesday night I go to Morris Dancing practice so I was concerned to leave my property anyway classic “They know you’re not at home” but I still want to lead something like a normal life so I went anyway, couldn’t go to the pub after though! When I returned home my intruder light had been tampered with, I sent an impassioned e mail to the head teacher, asking her what the hell she thought she was playing at, again no reply. I explained to her that when I had been crept on I found scissors and hammers that did not belong to me but that had been brought into my house in the event that I should catch them I suppose, still no response!

Yep name of Siobhan Kerins head teacher St Boniface primary school Tooting! What a disgrace! I now think that the reason she has not replied to my e mails is because she knows about the rat run, who knows maybe she has kinky sexual leanings herself or is perhaps taking a cut of the criminals takings, I don’t know, I do smell a rat and I do know that if I was in any way connected with a school that was growing such a smelly disgusting rat run that make it unsafe for children, elderly and vulnerable people, everybody and anybody who lives next to the school to live in their own homes then I would have flattened it.

For a head teacher to ignore the legitimate concerns of a concerned neighbour is, I believe entirely unforgivable.

Siobhan Kerins claims she did not receive my e mails although she told a community police officer that she had called because I asked her why she was not clearing up her side of the rat run that she had not replied to me because she found my emails aggressive! I have copied them below. Ms Kerins now clearly a liar as well as a neighbour from hell.

I re sent the emails so Ms Kerins has no further excuse to claim she does not know about or cannot see (and there are none so blind as those that will not see!) the rat run, the hidey holes and the dens, I have just received a reply from madam kerins at least acknowledging, finally, that she has received the emails, though what has been done about the situation? The overgrowth? The bin that makes it so handy to just jump into the shed next door is still conveniently placed next to the shed, the smell remains, the rat run thrives, I will again have intruders who knowing what a fuss I am making will be aggressive and frightening, my intruder light doesn’t work and the head teacher at the school is a passive aggressive who has decided she is going to have a row with me, as if I care about that!

Siobhan Kerins clearly does not care about her neighbours or about the children she has enabled to be spied upon, perhaps followed, perhaps groomed who knows? Yes again all this is happening at St Boniface Primary School Tooting, named and shamed! Do not go there, do not send your children there, it is not safe; the school apparently colludes with paedophile gangs, creepers, burglars and who know who else.

The head Teacher is passive aggressive, if you go to her with any complaint she will ignore you until you become upset, then she will call you aggressive, well there are names for people like you Ms Kerins, none of them pleasant!

I will keep everyone posted in this situation, I am not prepared to live in a rat run, I am very protective of my lovely Eileen and my heart breaks for all the poor children who have the misfortune to attend this disgusting school.

Emails sent to Ms Kerins this week:


On Monday I wrote:

Dear Ms Kerins

I am writing to let you know that on Sunday I cleared the back of my neighbours garden, this joins with the school “nature garden” this revealed yet another hidey hole, where I believe people have been watching both the school children but also my elderly neighbour, myself and several other neighbours.

This would be immediately next to the ground you have cleared, and is on the school’s side of the fence, dead vegetation has been packed between the growth and the fence to make visibility impossible, this again would need to be cleared from your side, though the creeper is artfully draped to appear as if it comes from the this side.

As I explained to you when I met you my neighbour is 82 years old, I hold her in the highest regard and for her to have her security breached by the school’s planting in this way is, I feel, most un neighbourly and totally unacceptable.

I am very concerned that over a week after speaking to you nothing has been done to clear the “nature garden” Which at the moment consists mainly of nettles and brambles, brambles are now growing through the fence into my garden from the school’s side, probably to deter me from keeping the fence clear.

With this “rat run” there is always nettles at the front, then a bramble, a very nasty smell facilitated by somebody urinating onto a plastic bag or paint pot. By keeping the area clear of rubbish the smell clears.

Please believe that my concerns regarding this matter are very serious, I am not prepared to live in a rat run and am making every effort to ensure that the general area is secure, clean and safe, for both my neighbours and myself, I believe it is up to the school to ensure that the area is safe and secure as well.

I am quite prepared to take this matter up with the board of governors, the Bishop, my local MP any other body that I need to. No one from the police has contacted me but I will be contacting them again regarding this matter, until I am satisfied that the area is as safe as is possible.

Perhaps by looking at this matter seriously yourself you would understand my concerns, the area from the back of the school gives access to over 40 houses, a school, an escape route, and is, I believe used by all types of petty criminals who can be and are very nasty people indeed. Not the type of people I want through my garden or to even look and my neighbour once. Not to mention the children under your care!

I am still nurturing the strawberry plants and would be happy to help, a nature garden does not after all consist of nettles and brambles, there is a huge variety of wild birds and other animals locally and they could be encouraged by the right planting, as could butterflies and bees, this situation can so easily be turned around and I believe must be.

Best Regards

Sharon Gifford

On Tuesday I wrote:


----- Forwarded Message ---- Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 5:05:12 AMSubject: Fw: FAO Head Teacher
Dear Mrs Kerins

As you have chosen not to reply top my e mail, which, I suppose is only to be expected in these days of bad manners and lack of education I am writing yet again I am disgusted that you do not appear to care about what I am telling you.

Your caretaker has obviously take 15 years to grow a rat run through the school, making many elderly and vulnerable people victims of crimes, there are many hidey places, I have managed to destroy many of them but many have been grown on your side of the fence and this rat run can only have been developed with your compliance or with your total lack of supervision.

I had to go to sleep again last night knowing that my elderly neighbour, myself and many others are at risk because you will not cut down and destroy the rat run that has been created by yourselves. What if this were your mother or indeed yourself?

The area behind my neighbour’s house has not yet been cleared although I watched your caretaker skirt around the area, he was even asked by my neighbour to clear branches and cleared the wrong ones! If he were any more complicit in this I would arrest him myself. However, I feel, as you are the head teacher you must take responsibility for the rat run you have allowed to be grown under your supervision.

I will be spending the next few days making completely sure that my neighbours know the dangers they are under as the school chooses to employ a caretaker that grows rat runs, hidey-holes and dens for criminals. Then I will let my MP your board of Governors and anyone else I see fit know what a disgusting, smelly and irresponsible place St Boniface primary school is, with a head teacher who apparently colludes in criminal activities and is a disgrace to the area.

When I met you I though you gave a damm, perhaps it is only your career you care about and nor the children you are supposed to teach and nurture not allow to be spied on and who knows what else? Followed? Groomed?

You have listened to and believed the lies of a creepy and nasty man, the vines as he calls them grow from your side of the fence not ours, you have never even bothered to come and knock at my door and see this rat run from my point of view, if the area behind my neighbours house is not cleared by this evening I will again spend a troubled night worrying that she might be troubled by prowlers or worse.

You are probably not interested; after all if you don't even care about the children in you care why would you? But two of my cats came home injured yesterday, I expect more reprisals, but I will clear this up, somehow, because I cannot bear the thought of what you and others have done, and may continue to do.

It is disgusting and there is no excuse for the way you have allowed this rat run to develop and even more disgraceful is the way you and now compliant in it's upkeep.

I will copy this e mail to the police, although truth be told they seem to be as complacent as you about this rat run, if not actually complicit in it's development.

Best regards

Sharon Gifford


Again on Tuesday:


----- Forwarded Message ---- Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 5:21:51 AMSubject: Fw: FAO Head Teacher
For Your Information

I have just seen a man throw rubbish into your bins and leave the school premises.

Should there be anybody on school grounds at 05.19?

----- Forwarded Message ----From: Sharon Gifford Subject: Fw: FAO Head Teacher


Again total ignorance from a Catholic Primary School Head Teacher!

Quite shocking.

I have explained to you that I have cleared my neighbours side of the fence the den can clearly bee seen and MUST be destroyed, what is the matter with you?

I have removed all the "vines" from this side and all anyone has to do is pull them from your side, a ten-minute job,

I believe your immortal soul is now in serious peril, as my parish priest would say, get a grip woman! Clean up your act and NEVER allow this disgusting mess to occur again!

You have to take responsibility for this you have employed a man as a gardener who has planted weeds and lied and conned you for years, that is for you to deal with the one step you can now take to recompense for the rat run you have allowed is to clear it.

I will not go away, my concern is genuine and although you, as it turns out are the neighbour from hell I am and will continue to be a good neighbour and not allow any more rat runs to be constructed by your staff.

To say I am shocked and disgusted is an understatement and I would have thought you would want more for yourself that to run a school that stinks.


Tuesday night:

----- Forwarded Message ---Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 12:02:35 AMSubject: Fw: FAO Head Teacher

Another day and no response!

Anyone would think you could cobble together e-mail.

I was out this evening and when I returned my intruder light had been broken, so now I am up for a night of prowlers whose access to my property has been entirely facilitated by the actions of staff at St Boniface School. Thanks, lets hope they don't get in, or in next door, hopefully they will not actually want to hurt or kill me, let's hope they just want to put the frighteners on me again.

If you would only sort out your lights and your rats nest I wouldn't have top do all this wouldn't have to worry, would be able to sleep at night, I have to work as well and I am seriously considering suing you for lack of earnings as getting to the bottom of your mess has cost me three weeks work.

As I will be up all night now any way I will spend my time constructively, letting all and sundry know about the rats nest the St Boniface school has so carefully nurtured, and the ignorant and bad mannered attitude of the head teacher who has once again not bothered to clear up the disgusting smelly mess she is responsible for.

I don't know if the man at 05.19 was an intruder or yet another of your creepy members of staff, he left a bag, was he leaving something to pick up later, perhaps a hammer and scissors? That's what I found in my house from these disgusting men, if they can get into my house and creep about how much easier would it be for them to get into the house of a vulnerable person?

A days work would clear it, there would be no hiding place and prowlers would be deterred plus I would not be such a target as I would not be the only one who is trying to clear this mess up.

Sheesh why am I even bothering to talk to you?

Listen if they do get me with their hammers and scissors remember you are responsible for this, whether through ignorance or, as now through complicity there really is no excuse, none what so ever.

How are you sleeping this week?

Lucky you!

oopps someone at my back door!