Should I tell the police?

[PonyPals]

This is more of what would you do..
So my dad is in construction and he started a job today where he has to replace a floor in a garage.
Whilst ripping up the floor he found a semi hidden door behind a big mirror that was hanging up on a wall at the very back of the garage.
The door was half the normal size and when he looked in he saw that it was a small space with no windows but a mattress a tv and a book. It also had a vent leading out of it and the tube was across the garage roof.. we think for air (does that makes sense?)
So what do you think the room could be for?
Client is a man maybe in his 70s. Lives alone.
Should we report this to the police or are we letting our imagination run away?

It's someone's home so no it fucking doesn't.

Report to Crimestoppers which is completely anonymous.
Could be any number of explanations most of which have been covered already in this thread.

Someone could be using it without his knowledge although being covered by a mirror seems suspicious.

He has had work people in there so isn't particularly hiding it though

Presumably the guy who lives there wants the work done?

But has forgotten that there's hidden room the door to which is only hidden by a mirror that perhaps need to be removed to do the work anyway?

Uv light sorry not luminol light

Could be a bunker room from when they had the world wars.

Absolutely baffled by the posters who don't think this is fucking odd.

Report

Could also be that someone is using it unknown to the owner and they've temporarily cleared out while there is work being done.

Well it's a good job we have trial by mumsnet to sort it based on a 10 sentence post. I'd send the thread to the police.

Of course it's odd, but it's not illegal to have a hidden room.

A 1930s house, could be a bomb shelter. Could just be a den built by a teenager (think of my own ds wanting to do this in the loft).Does it lock from the inside or outside?
I wouldn't report or assume anything sinister.

Please tell me you're not going to post photos of this guys home on here.

This was my first thought

Surely the sort of person who locks people up against their will hides it a bit better than semi hiding it behnid a mirror and invite workman round to take the room apart!

Can’t believe all the suggestions of photographing this man’s private property

Of course you should take pictures if something looks suspicious on a building job. What do you suggest? Completely ignore something that is very odd?

I certainly wouldn't post pictures on here. And it's not very discreet of the OP blabbing about someone's home on here. But there is nothing wrong with taking pictures and discreetly passing on to the police.

Oooh how intriguing

Could be a reading nook, or maybe an old war bunker although I doubt it would be effective if just in a garage.
Could be a safe room for when the man turns into a werewolf on full moons so he doesn't eat the town.
Maybe he's one of those serial killers from the 90s that never got caught and that's where he kept victims.

I'd probably ask the man what it was all about, if he says "oh that's where my kidnapped victims go" then I'd probably mention it to the police.

Maybe it was a teenagers' den.

If you don't hear from your dad for a while you will know where to find him 👀

Netflix. I Came By.

As it's pre war, expect its a bomb shelter.If it was anything nasty he wouldn't let it be so easily seen/ accessible.

This was my first thought, but I'm cynical and have seen some horrific things due to line of work so I would be inclined to finish the job and pass on the intelligence.

As someone said, could be nothing, but if not you've done your part

Has nobody heard of Natasha Kampusch or any other girls kidnapped and kept like this? I would report it to be sure.

Can’t believe some posters are saying not to report it! Have you not learnt from all the true crime stories of mostly women/girls being kept in tiny spaces by creepy men! And him being 70 does not make him incapable, I’ve had very creepy sinister messages of 60+ men wanting to lock me in their basements etc on social media.

I also saw something similar on TikTok recently. A couple renovating a house to sell found a secret basement room leading off from the bathroom with a child’s bed inside. They didn’t inform the police though, presumably as they didn’t want to delay the renovations and sale.

@QuestioningMyExistence there's no lock, nobody in there and it was only half hidden. He'd be a shit criminal.

Well of course the home owner knows it's you. Who else would it be?

Why is it a problem if the homeowners knows its you?