‘No questions. No warnings. I was wrongly arrested in my own home'

Telegraph

29-04-2025

A woman was arrested and handcuffed in her own home after her mentally ill mother suffered a muscle spasm but told carers she thought she had been strangled.
Two officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary detained the 43-year-old, who helps look after her mother, on suspicion of non-fatal strangulation after a welfare check was requested.
The woman – whom The Telegraph is calling Claire to protect her mother's privacy – was subsequently de-arrested after a senior officer arrived and assessed the situation.
But she said the incident left her traumatised and further exacerbated her mother's condition.
It comes just weeks after the same force arrested the parents of a nine-year-old girl for complaining about their daughter's primary school in a WhatsApp group.
The couple were detained by six officers and spent eight hours in a cell following their arrest on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications. Following a five-week investigation, police decided to take no further action.
This latest case will further fuel concern that police are failing to apply common sense when dealing with the public.
Daughter 'accused of obstruction'
Claire, who lives with her mother and acts as her health and welfare attorney, said the case should worry anyone who cares for a vulnerable loved one, as it suggested police training was inadequate.
The alarm was raised when her 81-year-old mother, who suffers from a serious psychiatric illness, told one of her carers she had been strangled – in order to describe spasms she was experiencing in her neck.
It was not the first time the pensioner, whose English is not perfect, had made similar comments about pain experienced in her neck.
The care agency attempted to log the remark with social services but, because it was Good Friday, they were not able to get hold of anyone. Instead, they passed it on to police, expecting officers to carry out a basic welfare check.
However, two female officers then arrived at the home and informed Claire she was being arrested on suspicion of non-fatal strangulation, an offence under the Domestic Abuse Act.
Claire said she tried to reason with the officers and explain that her mother was seriously unwell and any trauma would further upset her.
She said she requested the presence of a doctor and a more senior police officer – but was accused of obstruction and placed in handcuffs.
'Our home became a source of trauma'
Eventually, a sergeant arrived at the address and Claire was de-arrested. But she said the situation left her and her mother extremely distressed.
Because Claire works in financial services, she also had to declare the arrest to her employer and could have faced disciplinary action.
The exchange was captured on CCTV, which was installed at the property to help with her mother's care.
Claire accused the police of a lack of empathy and said officers needed more training in how to deal with cases involving the mentally vulnerable.
She lodged a formal complaint with Hertfordshire Constabulary and said she was also willing to take the matter up with the Independent Office for Police Conduct.