A mum-of-two mum has claimed she was taken naked from her bed and into the street by bailiffs who'd arrived to evict her from her home. Ruth Nestor, who described herself as a "vulnerable adult with a disability," said she was "dragged down the stairs, bumping my spine all the way" on Wednesday morning (October 19).
Once outside, her doors and windows were reportedly boarded up. Ms Nestor, who said she suffers from a damaged spinal cord, added: "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." After being removed, Ms Nestor remained in her back garden for several hours while her next-door neighbours provided her with clothes and a cup of tea.
Ms Nestor said she believed the bailiffs - from the National Eviction Team (N.E.T), which is part of the High Court Enforcement Group - "had no right" to evict her. She claimed: "They've broken the doors and trashed my home and all my possessions have been thrown around."
One of the neighbours who'd gathered in the street to support Ms Nestor 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 (from the local housing union ACORN) who'd turned up to support her climbed up to her window and started to record but the bailiffs were trying to draw the curtains. I just hope it can get resolved for everyone’s sake."
Insolvency practitioners Richard Long and Co administered the eviction following a confiscation order, relating to a 10-year-old court order. It is believed that they will now sell Ms Nestor's home, while she has been advised to apply for emergency accommodation.
Bristol Live reports that, back in 2012, Ms Nestor was charged under the Social Security Administration Act and lost her council house on the city's Goodhind Street as a result. Richard Long and Co. - which has already made two previous unsuccessful attempts at repossession - claimed she "failed to pay the costs order made against her."
However, Ms Nestor said she had set up a standing order and hadn't missed any payments. She claimed she had been told to pay more than was originally owed due to interest being added onto the debt, along with additional charges, which she'd 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.
"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 added: "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." The spokesperson also claimed that one of the N.E.T bailiffs sustained an injury during the eviction and that Ms Nestor had taken off her clothes when they'd arrived.
An ACORN member who attended, but was not named, said: "The bailiffs were able to enter the property before ACORN members were able to mobilise. The bailiffs behaviour and aggression towards Ruth as seen by our members was disgusting, as was the attitude of police."
A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset Police said: "Police attended an address in Robertson Road, Easton, Bristol at about 8.45am on Wednesday, October 19 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."
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