‘I was force-fed crack by criminals who took over my house’

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

‘I was force-fed ****** by ********** who took over my house’

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Getty Images

‘Laura’ said she was tied up in her own home and forced at knifepoint to take the *****

A Dundee woman who was forced at knifepoint to smoke ****** by ********** who turned her home into a ***** den has said she was convinced she would be *******.

She was a victim of cuckooing – the term used when someone’s house is taken over for ********* activity, including dealing, storing or using drugs.

The woman said she was initially befriended by a couple who then took her phone and bank cards and stole money from her.

A Dundee charity said the issue was “rife” in the city after 52 referrals for cuckooing cases in the last year.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

The woman spoke to BBC Scotland anonymously as she was scared of reprisals

The woman, who we are calling Laura, said she was kept a prisoner in her home for weeks and was tied up and threatened by the couple.

She said: “The lady was sitting with a ****** at my throat, and said if I didn’t hand over the bank card, then I was getting my throat slashed.

“Or if it didn’t take the pipe, then I would get a punch or whatever.

“I was too frightened to tell the police, I didn’t know what to do.”

Laura said she was in constant ***** of her life.

She said: “I really thought they were going to ***** me because they were force-feeding me ****** ********.

“I was hallucinating, and I couldn’t say no because I was bound and force fed it.”

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

Laura said that things became “worse and worse” as the weeks went by.

She said: “I was too frightened to try and leave the house.

“If my door was locked, they would burst the door wide open. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, just didn’t know what to do.”

Laura said another neighbour was also cuckooed by the same people.

She said: “He had to flee his house.

“It was the same thing, but he actually got a massive hiding (beating).

“And this was just so they could use his house and his money to buy ****** ********.”

Laura was rescued after one of the couple answered the phone which they had stolen from her.

A family member told them to put Laura on the phone immediately and alerted the police.

Laura said: “If they hadn’t done that, I don’t think I’d be alive today.”

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

Gillian Anderson deals specifically with cuckooing cases for the Positive Steps charity

Police referred Laura’s case to Dundee charity Positive Steps, which helped her find new accommodation and also helped her regain trust and confidence.

It had 52 cuckooing referrals last year, compared to 29 in the previous 12 months.

But the picture across the country is difficult to assess.

Cuckooing is not recorded by police as a specific offence, so a case-by-case assessment would be needed, making Freedom of Information requests too costly to carry out.

Positive Steps was recently awarded £344,000 to expand its cuckooing service, which had previously only been operating with one dedicated staff member, Gillian Anderson.

She said cuckooing got its name from the bird, which is known for taking over the nests of other birds.

“It’s when someone comes to your home and takes over your flat and you lose control of your home,” she said.

Ms Anderson said the issue was “a lot *******” than people might think.

She said: “It’s happening right across Dundee, people are even leaving their houses.

“We had a case where somebody jumped out of the window just to escape what was going on.”

Ms Anderson said the majority of people targeted were vulnerable women, but men and professional people were also victims.

She said: “They’re very clever at what they do.

“I’ve had a certain person who was bought a drink in a bar and it came from there.

“Or they’ve wormed their way in through a friend. They get their foot in the door and it goes from there.”

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

Police Scotland said some incidences of cuckooing were uncovered on raids

Ms Anderson said victims were subjected to various ordeals.

“Some people, like Laura, were bound and gagged.

“There’s people that have lost everything in their house, the furniture, the white goods, their bank accounts are emptied.

“There’s been ******* and physical assaults.

“Some people never go back and leave all their possessions. Some people have moved from Dundee, just to escape from it all.”

She said Positive Steps would help victims find a new home.

She said: “We work in partnership with the police. The priority is usually housing, so we’ll look at temporary accommodation.

“We’ll also get them panic alarms and Ring doorbells.”

A few days before meeting Laura, I accompanied police officers enforcing a warrant to search a property suspected of being involved in ***** activity.

Officers in riot gear flooded into the house, looking for controlled drugs and evidence of any potential cuckooing. On this occasion, neither were found.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

Sgt Elise Wilson

Sgt Elise Wilson, who works closely with organisations like Positive Steps, said it was just one way cuckooing can be uncovered.

She said: “Cuckooing can be discovered through enforcement the police undertake.

“However, often members of the public will often feed information to the control room that filters on to officers to follow up.

“Signs might include a neighbour who has become more withdrawn, there could be additional people coming and going from their address at different times of the day and night.

“Also, new faces or accents from other towns. There could be ***** paraphernalia in the common close, all signs we ask people to keep an eye open for.”

Back at Positive Steps, Laura said anyone in her situation should get help before it’s too late.

She said: “I still think about it. I mean, it’s still there in my head, but I just get on with my day-to -day life.

“They made out they were my friends, but they weren’t. They were evil, very evil people.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#forcefed #****** #********** #house

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

For verified travel tips and real support, visit: https://hopzone.eu/