AIBU to be furious that this isn’t illegal?

[YetAnotherHastyNameChange]

During Covid myself and another few mums in my area have been visiting and delivering food parcels to elderly people whose families have been unable to visit. During this time I’ve made some really good friends with some of the old ladies and now the dc are back at school I’ve been still visiting a couple of them to help out and have a catch up and chat with them.

One particular lady is really lovely, absolutely hilarious but quite frail and her house really is a tip. Her family who live a distance away pay for a cleaner to go in weekly but as the lady is always there she never lets the cleaner actually do much other than the bathroom and all the books and stuff she’s hoarded for years is still piled up everywhere. A couple of weeks ago her family collected her and took her back to their house now restrictions have eased and booked the cleaner to go in as normal but hoping she could throw a few bits out - really not important things but there’s stacks of magazines from the 90’s, endless Tupperware that doesn’t match and the owner really won’t notice when she returns.

Anyway, cleaner goes in a discovers lots of things have been moved around so phones family to see if it’s them. It’s not them but they find out some internet blogger who visits ‘abandoned places’ has broken in somehow, dressed up in her clothes, sat on her bed, took loads of photos of all her possessions and posted it all online as a ‘time capsule house’. Family contact police who claim no laws have been broken as there’s no sign of a break in and he is claiming to have been invited in. Lady is now hugely embarrassed as everyone has seen what a mess she lives in and is refusing to come home again.

Having looked at this mans page he’s been going all round my local area and letting himself into people’s caravans, abandoned schools, loads of houses which he claims are abandoned but quite possibly just second homes that haven’t been visited for a while, taking photos in through people’s windows of houses that are clearly lived in, going into farms and photographing all the barns with animals, machinery that could be stolen, broke into a Victorian cinema that is currently being rebuilt by volunteers but is in a dodgy area so will now almost certainly just get trashed.

How is this not illegal? Why is he allowed to do this? So many people have complained on his page that he’s been in their barn/ photographing their dining room while they were out etc. and he just blocks them from the page.

He’s getting loads of views on these pages so more and more people are going to start doing this, surely? I find it outrageous behaviour and can’t believe the police won’t intervene.

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

That's horrific! It's not just that he's entering without permission, he's taking photos, publicising them, and although he may not steal anything himself, there might be other criminal minds out there who see something they fancy or believe to be valuable who WILL go in afterwards, especially if they've realised it's pretty fucking simple to get in and out without too much hard work!

And what would he do if one of these older people came home while he was there and challenged him?

It's just so fucking entitled - who the fuck does he think he is, that he has ANY right to do this?

[SpringItIsThen]

I'm more shocked at how casual the police are about this. I know about people visiting abandoned homes and buildings (via youtube) but never knew someone could just visit any random house someone still lives in and claim it's abandoned. Worse, it's not considered a crime and the police don't do anything. Weird.

[Atalantea]

what an absolute fucking arsehole!

why is this legal!!!

[SneezyGonzalez]

What a f*#$ing weirdo 😯

[Maggiesfarm]

I'm really shocked by this and it certainly should be illegal. I'm surprised the police haven't taken it more seriously. It is breaking and entering, tresspassing, after all.

However I wonder if the elderly lady asked him in and agreed to it? It sounds off the wall (& I can't imagine my mother doing that), but stranger things have happened.

[SpringItIsThen]

It's just so fucking entitled - who the fuck does he think he is, that he has ANY right to do this?

It really is. The entitlement, arrogance and lack of fear to do such things must come from knowing nothing can be done to you. I doubt he'd do this in the US.

[Maggiesfarm]

'trespassing' not 'tresspassing', got carried away with the S key.

[HarebrightCedarmoon]

Perhaps the police could catch up with him en route one time and arrest him for going equipped (for burglary or theft). After all, if he has the means to break in somewhere how do they know is isn't intending to steal something or attack someone? He could get up to three years for that.

[Homehaircuts]

What that's shockingly crazy! How is this possibly not illegal I can't believe it?!

[Erkrie]

Who is he?

[EveningOverRooftops]

There is a way to sting this fucker op

If there’s a whole host of people who he has photographed their homes and is using the photos of their PRIVATE homes they should all send him an invoice of say £500 for using their location without signing a location release form and illegally accessing the property. They can all chase up through courts as failing to pay a debt.

Enough of these will keep the arsehole busy.

FWIW I have done this type of photography way back. Secured permissions for the sites and have rights to publish the photographs without risk of being chased for trespass/damages etc.

[rainpurplerain]

So disturbing - especially visiting an elderly person's home during lockdown.

[nonevernotever]

I think everything I want to call him has already been said more eloquently up thread. What an entitled git. I'd go for public naming and shaming too, as well as contacting the local mp.

[nonevernotever]

And is there any mileage in getting other victims together to take group action?

[YetAnotherHastyNameChange]

Everyone locally knows who he is, where he lives and what his name is. A few of the local farmers have had words with him but he just carries on anyway.

maggiesfarm there’s no way she would have agreed in advance to let a man into her house while she wasn’t there. I’ve been visiting her most weeks for nearly a year and she wouldn’t let me visit when she’s not there and only lets me go into one room of her house.

[Twickerhun]

There are a few places round here that have been accessed with out their owners knowing. Nothing taken. No damage. Wonder if this is a new craze? It’s very odd and uncomfortable

[Alcemeg]

Horrible. I guess at least he's not asking for online donations to trash the place or wank over her bed, so we should thank our lucky stars 😣

I don't have a Facebook account, but if I did, can you post to say something like "WTF are you doing in my friend's house?" or whatever...?

[cuparfull]

@jimmyhill

Breaking and entering is illegal

Not of itself in England. Needs to be damage to property or contents, or theft / intended theft.

Just walking through the door, taking photos, not a criminal act AFAIK

How can this be true????

[jebthesheep]

Lots to choose from I suppose ..
Family ignore and find a nice new place for this lady get a fresh start.
Family pursue a civil case for compensation
Find out where he lives and follow his lead.
This is a clear case of abuse of a vulnerable person - if there is no law protecting them perhaps the local MP or age concern would be inclined to lobby for one.
If there was a petition for a debate in parliament I’d sign up. From the response here I don’t think that it would be difficult to find supporters.

[LittlestBoho]

This is awful! What a scumbag.

Since the police aren't doing anything I think you / the old lady's family should go for a good, old fashioned name and shame on Facebook. Awful. How would he like it if somebody invaded his grandma's house like that?

[HarebrightCedarmoon]

The entitlement, arrogance and lack of fear to do such things must come from knowing nothing can be done to you

Until he finds a house that is in fact occupied and someone wallops him with a baseball bat. Reasonable force, who would know what an intruder in your home is intending to do?

It could be a stalking offence if he is watching premises to see whether they are occupied, and entering and interfering with their property.

[Northernshepherd]

Urgh what a creepy fecker

[YetAnotherHastyNameChange]

nonevernotever I don’t know anyone else whose house he has actually been in. The only other people whose property is definitely not abandoned are local farmers who have spoken to him a lot and often post warnings that he’s been spotted in the area etc but he always claims he just got lost while out walking the dog.

One set of photos show him inside a massive local National Trust property which is full of paintings, furniture and antiques which must be almost priceless. The National Trust know but I don’t know if they’re keeping it quiet as they don’t want to advertise how easily someone got in or they’re taking action and he’s just carrying on regardless.

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

Wow. That’s so appalling.

[GerryManderson]

Hi Op,

Did he post this on YouTube? If so, I would suggest sending a legal notice asking them to remove it. Perhaps you could write it on behalf of the lady and get her to sign it? From what I know of YT, they are quite fair minded people and will want to do the right thing in this instance.

Just my two cents.