Corby woman banned from her own home after court orders boarding-up of flat used by drug dealers that left locals ‘living in fear’

A woman has admitted that it is in the best interests of her neighbours that her flat is boarded up after it was colonised by drug dealers and criminals.

The ground-floor flat in Chaucer Close on the edge of the Poets’ Estate was the home of Carly Innes until Wednesday (March 27), when officers armed with an inspector’s closure notice visited her to tell her that they were going to court within 48 hours to seek a closure order following months of trouble.

The flat, owned by housing association PA Housing, has been used by local drug dealers and one was even arrested there loaded up with a stash of crack cocaine. Tenant Ms Innes, who has issues of her own which make her vulnerable to exploitation, had been unable to stop the crime happening at the address.

She was at Northampton Magistrates’ Court yesterday (March 28), where, through tears, she accepted that the best thing for her community was that the flat was closed.

She said that she did not oppose the closure order, adding: “I want the court to know I’ve tried my best to stop them. I’ve tried to keep everyone away.

"I’m scared in that flat. I’m scared for my safety.

"I just don’t have anywhere else to go. I don’t want to live there but I don’t want to be left homeless. I want to do what’s best for the community. I know I bring trouble for the neighbours and it’s not fair.”

Northamptonshire Police solicitor Amir Yaseen outlined the issues in documents submitted to the court.

The evidence documented the experiences of local residents who had been left ‘living in fear’ after a series of incidents of anti-social behaviour. Windows had been smashed, there was an ongoing strong smell of cannabis, drug paraphernalia had been found inside the flat and a man had been arrested in the property in possession of a knife, cash, 275 wraps of crack cocaine and 24 wraps of heroin.

In the few minutes our reporter was outside the flat yesterday afternoon, two separate groups walked by clearly intending to visit the property, but turned around when they saw the police car outside.

The flat will now be closed for three months and Ms Innes will have to present as homeless to the council in the hope that accommodation will be found for her.

Deputy District Judge Samantha Rastogi said that she had balanced Ms Innes’s human rights with the laws around anti-social behaviour. She said: “There’s been a long period of difficulties at this property which seems to have come to a head in November 2023. Since then there has been an incident with a housing officer.

"There was an incident in February where someone was kicking the front door and the window was smashed.

"This behaviour has continued for a very long time and we have to accept you have had difficulty in managing it.

"I can’t see any alternative in this case bar the making of this order.”

What are closure orders?

Closure notices can be issued by senior police officers if they believe that there has been disorder associated with the use of those premises, and that issuing a notice is necessary to prevent the nuisance from continuing.

Within 48 hours, the police must then make a formal application before the court to make a closure order, which can prohibit access to all people, including those who live there, for a period of up to three months.

The court must be satisfied that, on the balance of probabilities;

- a person has engaged in disorderly, offensive or criminal behaviour on the premises, or

- that the use of the premises has resulted in serious nuisance to members of the public, or

- that there has been disorder near those premises associated with the use of those premises,

and that the order is necessary to prevent the behaviour, nuisance or disorder from continuing, recurring or occurring.

In the Chaucer Close case, the deputy district judge said all three of the conditions had been satisfied.

People living in homes subject to closure orders can contest them in court, and can have access to free legal advice to do so.

Anyone in breach of the closure order could face up to 51 weeks in prison.