Unprovoked campaign of abuse left pizza shop owner and family terrified

A pizzeria was hit by bricks, hammers and spray paint in addition to online abuse and damage outside the owner's home

Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Southport Lead.

For several months, the owner of a pizzeria was subjected to a months-long campaign of abuse which saw his business repeatedly vandalised and badly damaged. Dan Johnstone, owner of 600 Degrees, also faced malicious online abuse and had his tyres slashed outside his own home.

Throughout the harassment, he battled to keep his business operating and maintained with as positive and defiant attitude as could be hoped for. Today, he speaks about the financial and mental toll he suffered at the hands of Colin Cooper and looks ahead to a brighter future.

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Southport briefing

🚓 A woman arrested over the death of a pedestrian in September has been released with no further action. A man in his 50s was hit by a car on the Coastal Road on the evening of September 11 and later died in hospital. A 54-year-old woman from was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing serious injury by careless/inconsiderate driving and driving whilst unfit through drugs but is no longer being treated as a suspect. The Liverpool Echo reports that Merseyside Police is taking no further action and has referred the investigation to the coroner.

☀️ Solar panels will be installed on the roof of Dunes Leisure Centre. Sefton Council has awarded planning permission to a proposal to install hundreds of screens. According to its application, the new equipment will be capable of an output of 160kWp - the rate at which they generate energy at peak performance - and will be placed on the south facing elements of the building to maximise the generation potential and provide the best financial returns possible.

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“It has been terrifying for me and my family”

Dan Johnstone, owner of 600 Degrees

The owner of a pizza restaurant which was targeted in a long running campaign of vandalism and criminal damage says his family were left terrified by the attacks.

Dan Johnstone saw his 600 Degrees shop smashed with a brick, hit with a hammer and repeatedly graffitied during a bizarre and unprovoked torrent of abuse from a man he had never even met.

Beyond this, his social media was targeted with hateful lies and false allegations and his vehicle’s tyres were slashed while it was parked outside his home with the obsessed culprit regularly travelling from Bolton to carry out the harassment.

Last month, 35-year-old Colin Cooper was jailed for 26 months for offences including stalking, witness intimidation and a total of nine counts of criminal damage. It was revealed in court he had also targeted two of his ex-landlords in similar campaigns.

Each attack at the Hillside pizzeria left Dan with a bill of three or even four figures to repair as well as lost trade during enforced closures. But there was also a significant mental toll.