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The Vortex eviction

Wolfy Kray | 21.04.2007 08:26 | Free Spaces | Social Struggles | London

Action taken against bailiffs and Midda

Today there was a complaint made to Stoke Newington police about they eviction which occurred at 139-141 Stoke Newington Church Street. The eviction was contravening section 6 of the Criminal Justice Act 1977, which states that it is illegal to enter occupied premises using force or threat and that the penalty for such an offence is a prison sentence of at least 6 months or a heafty fine of at least £5000...

Added to this was a complaint about the alleged owner, Mr Richard Midda, regarding the loss of personal property...

The police are taking this seriously due to the nature of the circumstances and are to be contacting the plaintiff in the next few days...

We shall keep you updated with further progress!
Wolfy Kray (of neolonewolf)

Wolfy Kray
- e-mail: greenlonewolf2@hotmail.co.uk
- Homepage: http://http:/www.myspace.com/neolonewolf

Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

Re: The Vortex eviction

21.04.2007 11:39

It's the Criminal LAW act 1977, and it's UP to £5k or six months, not at least.

Also, entry by force is only illegal if it's done without legal authority. Was this not done by county court bailiffs enforcing a posession order? (I don't know.)

Eviction was reported at  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/03/364444.html

b

be careful

21.04.2007 12:00

im not sure if its true but i hear that section 6 has never been tested in court as it exists in a kind of legal limbo, neither side wants to see the other win because:

if the police or owners were to win it would set a precedent and section 6 would be rendered useless

if the squatters were to win the police and owners would be powerless when squatters moved in

so be careful, if this is true you could be about to ruin the world of squatting

squirrello

p.s. why not save the hassle of a legal battle and just move into another empty building?

squirrello

Section 6

21.04.2007 21:48

Section 6 has been used in court on many occasions, although I do not personally know of any occasion when this related to squatting.

James

i dont understand ...

22.04.2007 13:34

Section 6 forbids entering a place without being entitled to do so.
It stops an owner from entering a house (or land).

Police is not bound to Section 6 if they suspect a crime being commitet, bailiffs are not bound
to it if they act on the ground of a Possesion Order.

So whats the point here? Midda had a possesion order and came with the bailiffs.

hm

Section 6

23.04.2007 13:59

Evictions on the basis of a possession order can be carried out by the court bailiffs, or high court sheriff.

The owner tried using a bunch or private bailiffs, which isn't on.

Section 6 is not in any kind of limbo. It is part of the Criminal Law Act and was amended, and so confirmed by the Crimnal Justice & Public Order Act of 1994.

mz