What Would You Do Here?

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-48743932
If he tried that on my house I'd have used any means to eject the *&^%er, not let him walk around the place looking into private things. Would I have been within my rights to defend my property with force? I think I would be. Why is this guy not being prosecuted and sued to within an inch of his pond life? God I hate these ***, one of the jobs for bullies and those that enjoy inflicting misery, in this case on innocents. Rant over!

[ToraToraTora]

balders it would be illegal for them to carry tazers, same as it would be for me.

[spathiphyllum]

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/aug/15/bailiff-rights-dispute-jbw-police-enforcement

[ToraToraTora]

I don't care if they have a badge, they have illegally entered my house, they would therefore get treated as a burglar with the accompanying reasonable force applied.

[agchristie]

//but if it actually happened would you really not defend your home?//

I certainly wouldn't resort to violence TTT. If a bailiff was to rifle through my stuff I would film it on my mobile phone and use it as evidence in making a formal complaint to the bailiff manager and/or go higher if I had to.

[spathiphyllum]

https://www.gov.uk/your-rights-bailiffs

[spathiphyllum]

TTT you would get clapped up by the bailiffs and arrested.

[dannyk13]

Lynne, he wasn't a court bailiff.In actual fact he was a debt collector.

[douglas9401]

They're generally not the sharpest these blokes, built for intimidation rather than finesse.

Phone the police, tell them your house has been broken into and they'e rifling your drawers as you speak.

[ToraToraTora]

......and I've just caved his head in with a baseball bat ( not really that's just to make sure plod gets round a bit lively.)

[Mamyalynne]

//Mr Brown, a self employed high court enforcement officer.//

He should have dome his checks more thoroughly.

Would I employ violence - no and didn't when similar happened to me.

[dannyk13]

Lynne.
At the time he was working for a private company.
//He was given the address by Direct Collection Bailiffs Limited (DCBL), which has not responded to a request for comment.//

[Baldric]

/// Speaking after the hearing, Mr Brown, who remains a certified high court enforcement officer, said: "I offer Ms Bozkurt an apology for the distress this has caused her ///

[woofgang]

Its all very well to say "I would do this, I would do that" but honestly until you have been in the situation you don't know what you would do.

[Baldric]

True woofgang, it's the Armchair Warrior Syndrome taking over imho.

[woofgang]

I find that .gov "help" interesting because it assumes that the bailiffs are at the right house dealing with the right person. No advice about what to do when they get it wrong. I find its a common failing with official advice stuff. A couple of years ago I was wrongly accused of allowing my dogs to bark all day and all night and of leaving them alone in the house for long periods. The complaint came through the council and when I looked on their website for advice, all the information assumed that the dog owner was in the wrong.

[Bigbad]

Of course debts should be repaid, but that High Court agent’s actions were appalling and arrogant.

Aren’t they supposed to knock and possibly phone before they start checking for unlocked doors?

I can’t see why it couldn’t be nipped in the bud quicker -
“I’ve got a writ against Mr X’
“I’m not him, never heard of him, he doesn’t live here”
“Can you prove that?”
“Yes, I’ll go and get some proof, meantime why don’t you check with the council to see who is registered for council tax/electoral roll at this address.”

Then they could have sent the agent away with a toe up his backside.

[Baldric]

// Aren’t they supposed to knock and possibly phone before they start checking for unlocked doors? //

No, make a peaceful entry ASAP.

[Bigbad]

I have seen the TV show, and they do knock and phone first. It looks like only business premises they enter without doing either. presumably because they are "open" anyway.

[douglas9401]

Thanks for that at 10:10 Baldric. :-)

[spathiphyllum]

A High Court agent’s actions have every right to be arrogant.