A REDDITCH mum has spoken of her horror when a drug addict marched into her kitchen after entering her garden through a broken down fence.
Julie Booton, who suffers from COPD and is awaiting a lung transplant, was making herself a cup of tea at 8.20pm on December 27 when the uninvited guest walked in.
“I keep the back gate padlocked but she’d come through the fence which the council, despite me raising it with them, have still not repaired or replaced,” said Julie, who rents her Cedar Road home from the local authority.
“The panel blew down in the storms, but the council says it doesn’t consider them a priority, but it’s a priority when someone just walks in off the street and into your house. I was terrified, it could have been anyone.”
Julie said the woman asked at first to sit down, then, offering her money, asked to use the toilet.
“It was really scary. Okay, the backdoor was unlocked, but the last thing I want is to be a prisoner in my own home,” she said.
“I said ‘who the hell are you?’ and got her to leave.
“I then called the police and by that time my daughter had come home.
“I’ve got CCTV on the property and we saw film of her just walking back through the fence and trying my neighbour.
“The thing is, it could have been a lot worse – I’m vulnerable, and the council didn’t want to know.”
A spokesperson for Redditch Borough Council said: “Although there is no record of this on the system we have tried to contact the tenant and will be sending officers out immediately to assess the situation and rectify any concerns.”
