Carly Douglas: My mother’s terrified scream jolted me from sleep in the dead of night. I’ll never forget it

Melburnians used to believe there was little chance they’d be a victim of crime. Now we live in fear that the evil gripping our city will come knocking at our door — and last week, this fear became my reality.

Waking to your mother’s screams in the middle of the night is a truly sickening experience: one I’ll never forget.

Melburnians used to believe they would never be the victim of a crime, but we now live in fear that crime will come knocking at the door.

Last week, this fear became my reality.

Mum, woken up by a scratching noise at 2.30am, had gotten sleepily out of bed to investigate.

She tiptoed down the hallway in her pyjamas, unarmed, curious about the unsettling sound.

A figure was standing outside the laundry door. Picture: iStock

With dad interstate, she was just a woman at home with her daughter, in what should be a place of safety.

The illusion of safety was shattered within seconds.

As she peered into the dark laundry, she spotted a figure standing outside our door with his arm reaching in through the window.

Her first instinct – luckily – was to scream at the stranger in the dark and scare him away – a sound that immediately shook me from my sleep.

Within minutes, five cops were coming through our gate with torchlights.

They were fast, and knew exactly what they were looking for.

Why wouldn’t they?

A criminal tried to break into journalist Carly Douglas’ family home in the dead of night. Picture: David Caird

In Melbourne, family homes are being burgled every night.

If mum hadn’t woken up when she did, one of us could have come face-to-face with an intruder, possibly armed, in our home.

We count ourselves very lucky.

Much luckier than the man who was beaten with a meat cleaver just down the road from us.

It’s the talk of the town on Spring St again this week, and has been across the state for 18 months.

Premier Jacinta Allan has promised action.

But another review means more waiting.

For people coming face-to-face with terror, they want answers, and action, and they want it now.

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