Police charge pensioner for kicking down her door

Police broke down the door of a pensioner they were trying to find, then sent her the repair bill for £100. Mary Reason, 73, returned home from shopping to find her front door smashed down and a squad of police waiting.

The pensioner was due to give evidence at court but officers became concerned when she failed to contact witness services for three days. Police broke down the door to her home in Staverton, near Gloucester, then billed Mrs Reason for £100 to pay for the cost of repairing the damage.

Now the pensioner is refusing to pay. "I'm a pensioner who has had a stroke and I shouldn't have to deal with stuff like this from the police," she said, "They had no reason to break in. I get home and I find them in the house. The curtains were open and everything was neat and tidy.



"They could have just walked round and seen there were no problems. I won't be paying - I shouldn't have to."

Gloucestershire Police said the force had checked if Mrs Reason had been admitted to hospital before breaking into her property. A spokeswoman said: "Officers had reason to believe that someone was in, but there were no signs of movement. As a result officers forced entry to her property to ensure she was safe. They didn't find anyone in the property and fortunately it was later found that Mrs Reason was safe and well."

The force said it was lawful to batter a door down if there was reason to think the person inside was in danger or injured. She added: "It is not the responsibility of the constabulary to reimburse the cost of any damage which is the result of officers legally entering the property." Police have since sent three reminder letters to Mrs Reason, who lives solely on a state pension.