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.

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

@KisstheTeapot14

County Council Safeguarding Team I'd say.

Police may take a firmer line if they are approached via this route.

One would hope.

Safeguarding concerns is a good idea.

As an American it's hard for me to fathom that if someone is on your property without permission that you can't just ring the police and have them removed.

You can - but you have to be present and they have to refuse to leave. The house was temporarily empty.

[BoomBoomsCousin]

Trespass isn't a criminal offence and if that's all he's doing (or all anyone can find evidence of) then there probably isn't anything the police can do.

Since it seems people have looked for evidence that he's broken in (i.e. caused damage to get in rather than finding an insecure door or window, say) but can't find any, then most likely he isn't breaking in.

If no laws have been broken what exactly are the police supposed to do to take it "seriously"? Possibly an officer going round to have a word and talk about the harm he's caused to people when the places he enters aren't actually abandoned (basically call on his sense of decency but don't shut down the entire enterprise - which does not seem to be illegal and presumably make shim a fair bit of money). But they may have already done that and if he isn't prepared to stop the police don't have any power to follow up.

The only other route I can see is to pursue theft of electricity (or other utility) if there is any evidence in his videos or in security footage that he's used anything in any of the buildings and then ask for a Criminal Behaviour Order addressing the trespassing on conviction.

[Comefromaway]

It’s dreadful

Last summer I saw one of these so called urban explorers post photos of a row of abandoned cottages in a small place called Bosley, not too far from me.

The reason they are abandoned is there was a terrible explosion at the nearby sawmill that killed several workers including at least one of the cottage residents. The owners had to grab what they could and leave. It was actually a crime scene. The (living) owners had only been allowed to return under strict supervision to collect essentials.

Appalling.

[YetAnotherHastyNameChange]

boomboomscousin he’s very definitely breaking in. He’s obviously not causing damage when he does so somehow but certainly the cinema that he photographed himself inside is like Fort Knox! I’m guessing he uses a ladder and gets in through an upstairs window or similar but certainly the cinema and the lady I knows property (and presumably the NT mansion) at least were securely locked.

[omgwhy]

Never have I wanted the daily mail to pick up a thread so much. I can't believe this isn't illegal?

[Clymene]

Never have I wished for someone to have a nasty fall and break a leg more than this twat. What a disgusting creep

[daretodenim]

He's not doing urban exploring, that's not about going into occupied homes at all.

These guys (him and the other ones who do this non-breaking and entering) are going to start one-upping at some point. He'll run out of little old ladies' homes and remote farms and single mum Mary up the street will go for a week away with her kids and he'll do it to her house. He can legally break into Mary's house and take photographs in her kids bedrooms and it's apparently all ok because he hasn't damaged or stolen anything..

Shockingly, he'll somehow manage not to be tempted by home of the bloke who lives at the end of the lane who is ex paratroopers though.

The guy is pushing boundaries. He's getting off on it. The police should very much have this guy on their radar.

[BoomBoomsCousin]

@YetAnotherHastyNameChange

boomboomscousin he’s very definitely breaking in. He’s obviously not causing damage when he does so somehow but certainly the cinema that he photographed himself inside is like Fort Knox! I’m guessing he uses a ladder and gets in through an upstairs window or similar but certainly the cinema and the lady I knows property (and presumably the NT mansion) at least were securely locked.

If there's no damage caused then it isn't breaking in.

People often think they've secured places but forget about the skylight, or that if they can jiggle the dodgy latch so it comes undone so can anyone else (or maybe they don't even test the latches, just assuming they are secure), or that Fred used the side door earlier in the day, or that the key they leave under stone right by the front step is not actually super secret...

Especially with older properties, the fabric of the building can fairly easily fall into a state where it's not really that secure.

[ThePawtriarchy]

@MissConductUS

As an American it's hard for me to fathom that if someone is on your property without permission that you can't just ring the police and have them removed.

Did you not see this recently? 🙀 www.foxla.com/news/riverside-family-finally-moves-into-new-home-after-standoff-with-squatter-that-lasted-nearly-a-year

[PerkingFaintly]

@daretodenim

He's not doing urban exploring, that's not about going into occupied homes at all.

These guys (him and the other ones who do this non-breaking and entering) are going to start one-upping at some point. He'll run out of little old ladies' homes and remote farms and single mum Mary up the street will go for a week away with her kids and he'll do it to her house. He can legally break into Mary's house and take photographs in her kids bedrooms and it's apparently all ok because he hasn't damaged or stolen anything..

Shockingly, he'll somehow manage not to be tempted by home of the bloke who lives at the end of the lane who is ex paratroopers though.

The guy is pushing boundaries. He's getting off on it. The police should very much have this guy on their radar.

Yes, this is absolutely some form of voyeurism.

I don't even know the right word for it. He's getting off on riding roughshod people's boundaries. The "urban explorer" thing is a red herring: it's just a socially acceptable label he's found for his behaviour.

[CervixHaver]

Contact YouTube! They will demonetize his channel!

[FictionalCharacter]

I assume the houses and caravans he gets into are locked, so how the hell is he getting in without causing any damage?

[CarmelBeach]

@YetAnotherHastyNameChange

boomboomscousin he’s very definitely breaking in. He’s obviously not causing damage when he does so somehow but certainly the cinema that he photographed himself inside is like Fort Knox! I’m guessing he uses a ladder and gets in through an upstairs window or similar but certainly the cinema and the lady I knows property (and presumably the NT mansion) at least were securely locked.

I suspect you're looking at a champion lock picker.

That should be illegal, as should breaking and entering.

[MotherOfGodWeeFella]

@PerkingFaintly - you're so right about that.

[Userg1234]

Ok where and where does he live...uk ? Football fans stick together...some details and I have some "friends" who can visit his home, wear his clothes, " sit " in his bed....

[MissConductUS]

Here's a legal principle you should feel free to borrow from the US.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_doctrine

[SquirtleSquad]

What a nasty creep, he could easily give an elderly person a terrible fright breaking in. Knowing someone has been in your home and through your personal belongings is so violating!!

[YetAnotherHastyNameChange]

userg1234 in Devon. People have spoken to him but from what I can tell he still lives at home with his parents so probably a bit harsh to break into their house in revenge 😂

[sweetypop]

@YetAnotherHastyNameChange hope he does the decent thing and takes down your friends pictures! Unbelievable

[Gothichouse40]

I would see if any Stalking laws could be looked at. Is he watching till people are out of the property? I still would report it to the police and get it logged, illegal or not. If it gets really out of hand get a solicitor's advice. Something isn't right here and it's a disaster waiting to happen. Most urban explorers I've seen post about abandoned buildings. Not occupied places. Terrible for the lady.

[CarmelBeach]

@Gothichouse40

I would see if any Stalking laws could be looked at. Is he watching till people are out of the property? I still would report it to the police and get it logged, illegal or not. If it gets really out of hand get a solicitor's advice. Something isn't right here and it's a disaster waiting to happen. Most urban explorers I've seen post about abandoned buildings. Not occupied places. Terrible for the lady.

Surely a no win no fee solicitor would take this on?

[Gothichouse40]

Carmel, I was thinking more a criminal lawyer. I really don't know. The Stalking laws are the only thing I could think off. This situation really bothers me as the behaviour could escalate. I particularly don't like the part which mentioned him dressing up in clothes. This whole situation isn't right and even if no harm is done just now, whose to say it won't become something else. It's not normal behaviour.

[CarmelBeach]

@Gothichouse40

Carmel, I was thinking more a criminal lawyer. I really don't know. The Stalking laws are the only thing I could think off. This situation really bothers me as the behaviour could escalate. I particularly don't like the part which mentioned him dressing up in clothes. This whole situation isn't right and even if no harm is done just now, whose to say it won't become something else. It's not normal behaviour.

There's certainly a new law needed if the police are right...

OP I see you've posted a pic, would you consider telling us who it is? Is it good or bad to give this more publicity?

He must be picking locks, which must be against the law?

[MindGrapes]

I'm so tempted to Home Alone him.

Seriously though, it's such a violation. Imagine how upset you'd be if you saw a picture of him in your house. It's really intimidating and he must know it.

[CarmelBeach]

@MindGrapes

I'm so tempted to Home Alone him.

Seriously though, it's such a violation. Imagine how upset you'd be if you saw a picture of him in your house. It's really intimidating and he must know it.

What does that mean please? Never watched the movie.