Six month hostage claim doesn't look so unlikely anymore...

Back in 2010 Blood and Property reported a case of a 67-year-old man claiming to have been held hostage in his flat for six months.

At the time the allegation appeared highly unlikely.

Whether or not the claim was ever true it doesn't sound so extraordinary after these cases:
a) September 2011 police raided a traveller site in Leighton Buzzard leading to a case described in court as the first ‘quasi-slavery trial in this country for over 200 years'.
b) November 2013 three women believed to have been held as slaves for 30 years.
c) January 2014 Sheffield family jailed over slave beatings 

The 2010 allegations in Hackney were thought to be a case of visitors refusing to leave a man's flat. The police charged the suspects for burglary, not for holding a man hostage but a statement from Hackney Police said: "The victim has been spoken to and does not wish the suspect to be arrested. A first instance harassment warning has been issued and if the suspect re-attends the address, then he may be arrested for harassment."

UPDATE: Murder suspect tasered on Kingsland Road

UPDATE: A murder suspect (Now charged, details below) was injured when police fired a taser during his arrest on Friday afternoon (22 June).

The incident that has been reported to the police watchdog the Directorate of Professional Standards.

Held hostage for 6 months?

A charity shop on Kingsland Road reported a burglary. The items stolen were spotted for sale at that peculiar 'market' on Kingsland road on Saturdays. The police were called. The police arrested the alleged burglars and visited the address they claimed to be their home. Here they found a 67-year-old man who, I've been told, claimed to have been held hostage by the alleged burglars for as long as six months.

Well something odd was going on but may be not a six month hostage situation.

A statement from Hackney Police said: "On June 17, 2010 police were called by a support worker to the home of the victim, a 67 year old man, to do a welfare check. The victim made an allegation of common assault against a 46 year old man who was living with him. Police have fully investigated this allegation and have also spoken to the victim's care worker. As a result of this incident, the locks of the victim's home have been changed and nobody other than him is now living at the address. The victim has been spoken to and does not wish the suspect to be arrested. A first instance harrassment warning has been issued and if the suspect re-attends the address, then he may be arrested for harrassment."

The 46-year-old man in question was also charged with burglary.

Blood and Property has heard that the 'hostage' victim may have had a habit of inviting random folk into his home and then being unable to get rid of them. There's no real moral to the story except that the life of Hackney police officer can get pretty complex even when nothing much has happened. Which reminds me I've yet to write up a court hearing featuring Dr Seray Wurie which should win a prize for surreal pointlessness.