Before I joined I had no real idea how other people lived but my eyes became wide open in disbelief at some of the homes I have been in. I have reported burglaries where the victims own a dog and there is dog crap all around the house some fresh some dried…how people can love like that I don’t know.
One old ladies house was full and I mean full of ornaments.There was just a path to the sitting room where she had a armchair and a table with a TV in on it, and then a path to the kitchen, again there was access only to the cooker and a couple of draws and a cupboard.
The house was full from floor to ceiling with ornaments sat neatly on different styled shelves and glass stands, I was so nervous reporting her matter my colleague had to stay out of the house as he was 6’7;; and would have demolished half the displays being the nimble chap he was.
But she was happy , and as is often the case had no friends or relatives, apart fro a son who had not been around to see her for 3 years,

But one call came in from the ambulance service to assist with a patient. I arrived with another officer and the ambulance crew were stood outside the flat and they had masks on, “Hi says I”, what’s Up”.. “we cant get the woman to come out or even move onto the stretcher”, and to be frank we cant make her and we have no intention of hanging around in there” I look at them a bit puzzled as this was not a police job, I went in the door and it is quite hard to describe the scene.

Imagine first a flat devoid of carpets or furniture, the only things in the flat was a kitchen sink and cupboard and in one bedroom a single bed with three mattresses on it. Lying on the bed was an African female who looked to be about 25 stone, she was dressed in what I can only describe as potato sacks, the smell in the flat was worse than anything I have smelt before and that includes decomposing bodies.

I forgot to mention that the floor.|-|…in every room there were no carpets and every part of the floor was covered in shit…I presumed human shit…not in piles but spread out like someone had used a plasterers spreader smoothed out like some bizarre giant chocolate birthday cake! the shite was about half an inch to an inch deep. Smoothed off carefully right into the corners, and level all over. There was just a path from the front door to the bedroom and kitchen.

All over the shite was thousands of bits of orange peel some black some still orange all over the flat very surreal

Now back to the lady. She was laying on the bed and I could see the mattresses were infested with lice and fleas you could see them jumping all over her.

My colleague Helen spoke to her and said that she should come to the ambulance and go to hospital to get sorted out…” I am not going nowhere you can’t make me”
“ I asked her if she had a friend or any family. She said “ I have no one and no one has me”
We went back to the Ambulance and Helen said to them “The end of the day if she does not want to go with you we cant make her, we will have to get the social up here and go from there”… “Just one other thing you should know guy’s” “ She is Pregnant said the ambulance guy…”in fact I would say she is full term and about to have it”. “Aw Shit said I””.

So what to do,… you have a 25 stone woman covered in vermin and crap who is about to have a baby and refuses to co operate. They never mentioned this one at Hendon.

Being a probationer I did what all good probationers do…spoke into my radio..” lima delta from 413 receiving” Lima delta go ahead”. Can you send the sergeant down to my location!.. “Received” came the reply.

Shortly we are joined by our section sergeant he had about 25 years service he will know what to do. I briefly explain and he goes in and then swiftly out again and says…”F*&$ng hell”. He pondered and then got someone to bring down some protective suits and gloves and masks, we were joined by an old PC who was fascinated by the goings on, he was an old beat bobby who had been the local cop for years.
We all got into white paper suits and the plan was to lift her onto the stretcher and that would be job done we had the power to do so as technically she could be nicked for criminal damage to the council flat and that gave us power to use force and then at hospital we would de arrest her and let the hospital and social services sort it out.
Well after about 3 minutes of trying to get her onto the stretcher without throwing up we gave up, she did not resist but just lay there like a dead weight.
We were in a rock and a hard place …Brian the old beat cop said “Sarge let me have a chat to her.” Be my guest says the sergeant”. Brian goes in and I stand near the door whist he speaks to her.

Well Brian was an avid crystal Palace fan and he stands there and starts yapping on about what sort of season they are having, talking about player stats and describing goals and set plays. He was incessant and speaking non stop. Well after about 5 minutes the woman rolled into a sitting position and stood up saying For god sake shut the F%$K up” she then walked out of the flat followed by Brian who was still rambling on. She got straight into the ambulance and was taken off to hospital where the baby girl was born 2 hours later and taken into care,

A specialist cleaning team had to clean the flat and the other residents either side had to be re-housed the ambulance had to be taken out of service and the A&E department cubicle was shut off for special cleaning,

Many questions come from this. How was she left to get like this who was responsible for her had she been seen by the social services had the neighbours not reported the smell.

It struck me that in a modern society people can live an almost invisible life and not be noticed by anyone until it is far to late.

What happened to the woman ??? she died of a heart attack 7 days later whist getting into a bath….no-one came forward and claimed the body and enquiries could not find anyone who knew her…The flat had been sub let 3 times by the original tenant , and there was no trace of her ever coming into the country, the babies father was never traced.