Notice Board
Danger of Prosecution : Freedom of the Land
Lee Atkins from Poole Key Locksmiths Ltd , Dorset , got in touch with us to warn other locksmiths about the danger of legal disputes as a result of Freeman of the Land signs on warrants . His advice is to always take out legal cover with insurance and walk away if you see any of these signs .
Lee explains what happened to him back in December 2022 :
So , what happened ?
In December 2022 , I was employed to undertake an ‘ all day warrant ’. An ‘ all day warrant ’ always makes me weary of what exactly it will involve especially when it ’ s just the one job . I arrived at the property along with an engineer and the warrant officer . We noticed a few signs on the walls proclaiming “ Freeman of the Land ”. The warrant officer got the go-ahead and went to knock on the main door , when a woman poked her head out of the window shouting “ wrong door , go to the other side ”. When we went around the other side the woman hollered : “ Get off my property ,” and proceeded to come out of her property with a camera in one hand and phone in the other , talking on loudspeaker to someone . She then proceeded to the meter boxes ( both were outside and she stood in front of them blocking us from doing our work ). We were there for hours and the woman was videoing us on a small handheld camera whilst talking on a phone to a guy giving her legal advice .
The woman said “ You ’ re not going near my meters ” and had put a chain around them secured with a padlock . She was shouting at us and threatening us with legal prosecution , so we had to call the Police . Whilst waiting for the Police , I then proceeded to record her with my phone , all this time the chap on the phone was instructing her and we could hear everything as he was on a loudspeaker . The lady said she felt vulnerable , so he told her to go inside and get a kitchen knife and to use it ! Not something any legal person would really recommend or condone !! This was caught on my footage .
When the Police arrived , they read the warrant to her ( as she claimed that
‘ The woman told me that she was going to be prosecuting me personally , to which she kept her word . My van was the only vehicle displaying signage that day so she was able to get my company information .’
10
MAY 2024
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