“He has taken a wrong road and we are extremely concerned about him. I have spoken to him about getting a solicitor but he says he is fine. Whether he will appeal or not, I’m not sure.”
Haigh’s father Peter, who runs his own construction business in Plymouth, said: “They have made an example of him. To put him in that prison environment, I don’t understand it. If he broke the law he should be dealt with but it is like putting someone who has not paid their tax into Dartmoor Prison.”
The squatted Pimlico terrace flat — owned by housing association L&Q and spread over ground floor and basement — was boarded up today.
The last tenants moved out in 2011 and most residents were unaware squatters were living there. L&Q said it began civil proceedings against the squatters in August after going to the property with a prospective new resident and discovering their presence.
Squatting was not a criminal offence then so no complaint was made to police. The association added: “The police informed us of the arrest of these individuals at this property. Prior to these arrests, we had already begun taking action to seek their removal.”
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed the successful actions for “squatting in a residential building contrary to Section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012” — and said it was the first known case under it. The law makes it an offence to occupy a residential property without the owner’s consent. Any-
one convicted faces up to six months in prison and a £5,000 fine.
Housing charities and other campaigners claim that the reform — introduced after a spate of London cases in which squatters occupied and damaged homes — is unnecessary and will unfairly criminalise the homeless.
But ministers urged the Met to be “robust” in enforcing the law, saying swift police action will protect householders from the trauma of seeing their homes “stolen” and be a deterrent.
Ex-justice minister Crispin Blunt this month said it was intended to show that “squatters’ rights have come to an end”. The Government estimates that up to 4,200 squatters could be prosecuted each year.
