Couple ‘traumatised’ after drugs police raid wrong home
Natalie Gerrard
Natalie Gerrard and her partner had been fast asleep at the time
A couple have been left “traumatised” after police mistakenly raided their home – which was in a different postcode to the target address.
Natalie Gerrard and her partner were terrified when they had their front door in Bridgend smashed in as they slept.
The two women said they were then forced to dress while what they described as an “intimidating” male officer looked on.
They are currently seeking compensation from South Wales Police, which has apologised and admitted the incident did not meet the “high standards we expect”.
Couple ‘traumatised’ as police raid wrong house
Ms Gerrard was lying in bed in Caerau, Maesteg, when officers on a drugs bust broke down her front door with a battering ram on the morning of Saturday, 20 January.
“We both heard this loud crash and then the sound of footsteps running up the stairs,” said the 25-year-old shop supervisor.
“There were two officers, one of whom checked the other rooms while the second just stood there watching us both put our clothes on – it was very intimidating.”
Claiming that the only female officer present had “remained outside the entire time,” Ms Gerrard said that her partner was so frightened she was “crying and having a virtual panic attack”.
“Neither of us had a clue what was going on and it wasn’t until we were downstairs that I got to see the warrant.
Natalie Gerrard
The front door was smashed in by police officers with a battering ram
“At that point we realised they’d totally got the wrong house and wrong street – the person they were after didn’t even live in the same postcode as us.
“Then the penny dropped and you could see on their faces that they knew they’d made a big mistake.
“They said sorry but still tried to front it out a bit, as though something like that was an easy error to make.”
Ms Gerrard said she had repeatedly asked police to compensate them for what they went through, and that she and her partner were “traumatised by what happened and still jump whenever there’s a knock at the door or the sound of sirens nearby”.
“The police haven’t been helpful at all, however, and what apology we’ve had felt very insincere,” she said, adding that there has been no response to her requests to see bodycam footage from the incident.
In addition, despite her damaged PVC front door having been boarded up in a makeshift repair by officers, it was months before it could be replaced properly.
“It sent my heating costs through the roof for the duration of that winter,” she said.
“The bill came to about £400 in the end because the place was absolutely freezing the whole time.
“But the best the police could offer us was £105 because, not having lived here that long, I didn’t have previous utility statements to show them.”
Ms Gerrard is now taking the matter up with the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
South Wales Police said: “We can confirm that on 20 January a warrant was executed at an incorrect address by officers in the Maesteg area.
“An apology has been made to both occupants who were inside the property at the time.
“On this occasion, the officers did not meet the high standards we expect from officers at South Wales Police and an error had been made in identifying the address upon the warrant.”
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