I was dragged out of my home completely NAKED by a gang of bailiffs in stab vests… it was horrifying
A DISABLED mum claims she has been "dragged" out of her home naked by a gang of bailiffs dressed in stab vests.
Bailiffs turned up at 9am to evict Ruth Nestor from her home in the Easton area of Bristol where she lives with her two children.
The homeowner was forced out while she was naked and the windows and doors boarded up, a neighbour claims.
Ms Nestor, however, said: "I was asleep in bed and I was naked and they actually came into the house and just dragged me down the stairs with my spine bumping all the way. I am in a lot of pain and distress.
“I’m a vulnerable adult with a disability, I’ve got a damaged spinal cord. The bailiffs came through the door as soon as my children left for school.
"They dragged me and pushed me out of the door, naked as I was born, body shaming me. My neighbours gave me a dress to put on."
A neighbour of Ms Nestor’s saw the drama unfold on the morning of October 19.
Raquel, who lives across the street, said: “She was naked, I could see her from the window outside and there were policemen and male bailiffs trying to force her out.
"I could hear her saying, ‘stop, don’t come close to me, leave my bedroom.'
"One of the guys supporting her climbed up to her window and started to record and the bailiffs were trying to draw the curtains.”
Read More on Evictions
The eviction was administered by insolvency practitioners Richard Long and Co following a confiscation order which relates to a court order in 20212.
It is believed the firm will sell Ms Nestor’s home.
The firm also say Ms Nector took off her clothes when bailiffs entered the property.
At the time of the court order, Ms Nestor was charged under the Social Security Administration Act 10 years ago and lost her council house as a result.
Richard Long and Co say she “failed to pay the costs order made against her,” but this is disputed by Ms Nest and claims she has not missed a payment.
Members from Bristol’s housing union ACORN turned up to support Ms Nestor but were unable to stop the bailiffs from gaining entry.
Richard Long and Co also claim the mum took off her clothes when the bailiffs arrived.
I’m a vulnerable adult with a disability, I’ve got a damaged spinal cord. The bailiffs came through the door as soon as my children left for school.
Ruth Nestor
Once removed from the property, Ms Nestor stayed in her back garden and her next-door neighbours provided her with clothes and a cup of tea.
She stayed in the garden for several hours as the bailiffs continued to board up her home with her belongings inside.
Ms Nestor said the bailiffs “had no right” to evict her, adding: "They’ve broken the doors and trashed my home and all my possessions have been thrown around.”
The bailiffs were from the National Eviction Team (NET) who are part of the High Court Enforcement Group.
Richard Long and Co had already tried to evict Ms Nestor twice in 2021 but were unsuccessful due to the support from ACORN and neighbours who blocked access to the door.
On this occasion the bailiffs managed to force the mum out of her home despise the crowds who had gathered to support her.
Police were in attendance as the eviction was carried out.
A spokesperson for Richard Long and Co claimed a NET bailiff had sustained an injury during the eviction.
Contractors struggled to board up the front door and removed the handrails that were installed due to Ms Nestor’s disability, in order to secure the door.
She claims she has not missed any payments, which is disputed by Richard Long and Co.
Ms Nestor says she had been told to pay more than was originally owed due to the interest added on as well as additional charges, which is also disputed.
She said: “I have a letter from the court which says that I have not missed any payments. I paid more than what the court asked me to pay, which is £10 per fortnight, I pay £25 every week. It’s only £5,000 of which is interest. They haven’t made an application for the costing order so they have no legal grounds to pursue me for that money.
'DISPUTED CLAIM'
"It’s a disputed claim, on the fact that they didn’t make the application within the six month period.
“They cannot discharge a property from a mortgage, only a bank can do so. The bank said in the presence of everyone here that they have not sent anyone here to repossess the property.”
A spokesperson from Richard Long and Co said: “Ms Nestor failed to pay the Confiscation Order, or the costs order made against her in respect of her conviction. In October 2019, Nigel Heath Sinclair of Richard Long & Co, was appointed by the Crown Court at Bristol as the Receiver of Ms Nestor’s assets, namely the Property, under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
“The object of his appointment was and still remains to recover the funds Ms Nestor owes the Court in respect of the Confiscation Order and Costs Order. The Receivership Order requires Ms Nestor to give the Receiver possession of the Property.
“She has failed to do this during the past two years and although she and her partner have lodged a number of applications to attempt to stop the Receiver discharging the function the Court has empowered him to perform, these applications have all been unsuccessful. Due to Ms Nestor’s failure to pay the money she owes in respect of her criminal conviction the Receiver is obliged to enforce the possession order.
“We are aware that Ms Nestor has engaged with a local community group, ACORN, to frustrate this enforcement action, which they have done on two earlier occasions."
An ACORN member who attended, who was not named, said: “The bailiffs were able to enter the property before ACORN members were able to mobilise, and since they were high court bailiffs they were able to use force on our members to ensure they got what they wanted, while we legally of course could not. The bailiffs’ behaviour and aggression towards Ruth as seen by our members was disgusting, as was the attitude of police."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More on The Sun
A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset Police said: "Police attended an address in Robertson Road, Easton, Bristol at about 8.45am on Wednesday 19 October following calls from both a householder and High Court bailiffs attempting to carry out a court-ordered eviction. Officers attended to prevent a breach of the peace. There have been no arrests."
The Sun Online has contacted the High Court Enforcement Group for comment.