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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Spent the day in a police cell, AIBU?

171 replies

VerySadVerySadAndAngry · 15/04/2020 00:12

I have name changed for obvious reasons. But I post regularly here and would really appreciate some advice and support.

Yesterday was spent in a filthy dirty police cell, in custody. I have never in my life broken the law and I was scared. I was arrested and taken in because my father who has dementia and weird obsessional thoughts decided I had stolen all of his food.

Its been getting worse for months. He is aggressive and threatening, to the point he was trying to poke me with a garden fork. I'm actually quite scared at times because he tries to hit me, my husband, other people. I have been trying for over a year to get him into a home. Social workers will not listen. He has made allegations about his care staff, pub landlord, people in the pub, his friends, and his neighbours. he says he has people in his house, he sees things and talks to himself. He isn't washing or dressing appropriately, and he drinks for breakfast.

I am driven nuts with several calls a day. He bangs on the door and kicks my door up to 20 times a day. he stands by my car or in the garden so i can't get in or out of my house. He has been ringing the police every day for over a week. They arrive and he has gone out. He calls 999 and told them he is breathless so they blue light an ambulance, he is out.

But this is the final straw. I have written to his social worker, his GP, his solicitor and all of the neighbours. I have told the solicitor that any money left to me must be paid to charity. I hate this man. I can't bear to be anywhere near him. I have told social worker that I don't want to know where they place him if he comes out of hospital again, and I don't want to be informed if anything happens. Maybe he will get Covid-19? he certainly isn't social distancing, all of his wandering banging on doors and trips to A & E mean he more than likely is a candidate. I just can't cope anymore.

The police found my innocent and they have offered me support. So, why are the police now so supportive? well they have had so many dealings with my DF and his stolen stuff over the last year that they have written to SW x 3 making recommendations and they assured me this will never happen again. But I am still afraid. I went outside to look at the house to check to see if he had been discharged and nearly collapsed when I thought I heard a sound.

Am I cruel for not caring about him anymore? I feel so guilty and feel like I should care, but I'm just so frightened and I feel angry that he is doing this to me and my family.

OP posts:
frumpety · 15/04/2020 08:12

Contact the solicitor who is POA , send them an email detailing his detetrioration in behaviour/mental health. Give them any contact details you have for the SW who is handling your Fathers care package. Explain you are no longer able to be involved in his care in any way due to fears for your physical safety. Let them know you believe he is in hospital, hopefully he is still there.

JudyCoolibar · 15/04/2020 08:13

I agree that your best bet is to talk to your father's GP and emphasise that he is putting himself and other people in danger.

I would also strongly suggest that you talk to solicitors who specialise in actions against the police, e.g. Hickman & Rose or Leigh Day - they may well take your case on on a no-win no-fee basis - because the police's own records must or should have shown them that arrest could not be justified.

missingeu · 15/04/2020 08:30

If you father is still in hospital, please call them -explain the situation, the behaviour and request if your father can have a mental health assessment and be seen by Dementia Specilised Nurse - who in turn will sort out SW and what happens on discharge and maybe DOLs. When speaking to the hospital if the's on ward ask to speak to nurse in charge. They won't be able to give you details about your father but they can take information from you.

Please advise them you can no longer for your health look, after your father or be his next of kin. If you have kept a notes off incidents give them. Advise them they can confirm details with the police.

Please seek help for yourself and talk to your GP for yourself and take care.

perniciousdot · 15/04/2020 08:49

You didn't get arrested and put in a cell because your elderly father with dementia accused you of stealing food. The police searched your house? They showed up at your house with a warrant to look for food?

Are you living in the U.K.?

caffeinefix · 15/04/2020 08:57

Oh gosh, OP. It sounds very extreme for them to arrest you despite them knowing about his history. I would seriously consider putting a complaint in. Do you own your father's house? Can you evict him?

LaLaLandIsNoFun · 15/04/2020 09:05

Hi OP.

I have spoken to an Approved Mental Health Professional - they’re the ones who do MHAs and decide whether a person should be sectioned or not.

As you provide care and support and no one is living with your father you are the Nearest Relative - which is a legal term (unlike next of kin which is meaningless)

Call adult social services. Tell them that you are the NR and that you are requesting a mental health act assessment. Tell them about his dementia etc (possibly don’t mention the drinking). Tell them he is a danger to himself and others. Insist on talking with an AMHP about this. They HAVE to consider your request and write to you with the reasons why they will not do one if that is the outcome of their consideration.

Balmytissues · 15/04/2020 09:09

To hazard a guess, which may be way off the mark, but could it be possible that the police, being sick of being called by him permanently, finally said 'Fuck it - arrest the daughter and let's get this sorted for once and for all'. Police don't realise how traumatic it is to be arrested and held in a cell (happened me once too for something I hadn't done). Just be glad that it wasn't late in the evening that they decided to arrest you - then you'd have had to have been in there overnight and that is sheer torture. You can ring 101 and ask to make a complaint about the police - they should have had enough information to know that it was a false allegation. I wonder whether someone in the hospital had assessed him and said that he had capacity? That's the only other possible reason that I can think of for them following up on this.

I'm sorry you've had this trauma. It will soon be a distant memory and maybe with time, once he's put somewhere safe, and you've no further contact with him, you will come to laugh at your experience. It also sounds like they thought that you had the mental health issue if they sent you in an 'appropriate adult' as they call it (that would have been the mental health person I'd say). That would have infuriated me even further.

I'm not police bashing here, but sometimes they can get things horribly horribly wrong.

perniciousdot · 15/04/2020 09:15

could it be possible that the police, being sick of being called by him permanently, finally said 'Fuck it - arrest the daughter and let's get this sorted for once and for all'.

No. It couldn't be that.

Balmytissues · 15/04/2020 09:23

Perniciousdot - you're saying it couldn't be that and you're also saying 'You didn't get arrested and put in a cell because your elderly father with dementia accused you of stealing food. '. You clearly have great faith in the police service, God bless your innocence.

WaterOffADucksCrack · 15/04/2020 09:24

could it be possible that the police, being sick of being called by him permanently, finally said 'Fuck it - arrest the daughter and let's get this sorted for once and for all'. No they wouldn't get a warrant for that. Looking for food would be pointless anyway as the op could have just said it was hers even if she did nick it.

perniciousdot · 15/04/2020 09:30

Perniciousdot - you're saying it couldn't be that

Of course I am, because

could it be possible that the police, being sick of being called by him permanently, finally said 'Fuck it - arrest the daughter and let's get this sorted for once and for all'.

This is a ridiculous suggestion. So yes of course I am saying it could t be that. How exactly does arresting the daughter sort anything out 'once and for all' when their is a huge element of care that needs sorted for the father? That's not instigated by arresting someone else.

and you're also saying 'You didn't get arrested and put in a cell because your elderly father with dementia accused you of stealing food.

Indeed I am.

'. You clearly have great faith in the police service, God bless your innocence.

No, just a realistic understanding of the law.

perniciousdot · 15/04/2020 09:31

*couldnt be that

qazxc · 15/04/2020 09:41

Your father is abusing you. I know that currently is a really bad time but if you were my friend, I would take you in. Do you have any friends or family that could offer you support?
You need to remove yourself and your family from harm's way. Tell SS that you're gone and won't be taking any responsibility for him. I fear as long as you are there, your father's case will not be seen as urgent as others.
I understand, having abusive parents myself, how much of a headfuck it can be. But your priorities need to be you and your family. To be honest I would probably consider moving without letting him know where I was going.

alotinashortspaceoftime · 15/04/2020 09:42

We've had a very similar situation recently. Granddad was living on his own, wandering off being picked up by the police, almost set the house on fire, hospitalised every week or so social services wouldn't do anything at all. Couldn't get him sectioned. In the end the only thing we could do after 2 months + was when he was hospitalised not pick him up and the hospital was forced to involuntarily section him as he couldn't be left on his own and was moved to a home after an Alzheimer's test.

CandyLeBonBon · 15/04/2020 09:50

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Happyadventurer · 15/04/2020 10:07

@CandyLeBonBon could you possibly show a bit of compassion instead of judgement? Just because you haven’t experienced things this way doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen. FFS!

perniciousdot · 15/04/2020 10:12

@Happyadventurer

It's not a case of it not happening the way Candy and myself have experienced things, it's a case if that's not how it works. The police do not arrest someone because someone else told them they stole food. Dementia or not. They don't show up with a warrant to search a house for food based on nothing. In fact the police don't show up without a warrant to search a house for anything based on nothing. The idea they thought 'fuck it' and arrested her because they are fed up with his behaviour and thought that would 'sort it once and for all' is actually laughable.

Happyadventurer · 15/04/2020 10:22

@perniciousdot I totally agree that the police would not arrest someone on a ‘fuck it’ reason I am just saying that the OP has had a terrifically traumatic time, whatever the reasons for the police intervention was, and I feel that Candy’s continual comments are harsh and judgemental. For the record, all of my working career I worked closely with the police and I have seen bigger cock-ups than this happening. I am a massive supporter of the police but things happen. What the OP does not need right now is someone challenging what happened to her and basically accusing her of lying.

CandyLeBonBon · 15/04/2020 10:25

I'm perfectly compassionate. But as pernicious has also stated, this is not how the burden of proof works. The cps do not allow police to turn up and randomly arrest someone on the say so if someone else. They just don't.
It's possible to be compassionate whilst still querying the veracity if part of a situation that doesn't make sense.

Livingoncake · 15/04/2020 10:26

Or maybe, with police being stretched to their limit right now, the ones sent to deal with OP were inexperienced and without guidance, allowing them to behave like obnoxious bullies rather than trained professionals? Just a thought. I think we can all agree that what OP described wasn't correct procedure, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen - it could just mean that the police, for whatever reason, didn't follow correct procedure. They're not perfect.

It always irks me when people come on here and say "That never happened." You weren't there and you're not some all-knowing, omniscient being. Proclaiming you know what happened, or didn't, is sheer bloody arrogance.

CandyLeBonBon · 15/04/2020 10:27

And actually, if the OP could shed a bit more light in the police's actions it might be that there would be a good deal of good advice to be had about how exactly to go about making a complaint or dealing with any mishandling of events.

Windyatthebeach · 15/04/2020 10:31

Not sure police are functioning well atm.. So sorry for your ongoing ordeal op.

endlesswashingbaskets · 15/04/2020 10:32

I was in a similar situation with my father, it never got as bad as yours but you your story sends shivers down my spine because that is where we would have ended up!

He was drinking one day and wandered onto a cricket pitch. Some cricketers rescued him and returned him to his house. He was confused (obvs) but no one could be sure that he hadn't hit his head so we took him to A&E.

I was advised to say that I couldn't care for him and that he had to be in a care facility. He was in hospital for weeks and it was absolutely horrendous but he was discharged to a care home which I chose and is lovely. We would never have got him into a home otherwise and it would have got a lot worse.

Reallynowdear · 15/04/2020 10:35

Bloody Hell Op, just sending lots of love and support to you xx

EmergencyPractitioner · 15/04/2020 10:53

He needs to be assessed by a psychiatrist.

Whilst I know this is difficult OP, please try to stay calm when talking to police/carers/NHS staff. You will get your points over more effectively.

Can you like factually the time line.
Copy it so it's ready to be passed to whoev

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