# squat booby trap leaves police officer with cracked ribs



## landpirate

So this is how we roll in my home town. I'm a bit gutted I wasn't about to see this.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/1108...twt&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

*Brighton squat booby trap leaves police officer with cracked ribs*
4:40am Tuesday 18th March 2014 in NewsBy Anna Roberts, Crime reporter






Picture by Chief Superintendent Nev Kemp

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm after a carpet was placed over an open trap door and two police officers fell down it.

One officer was taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton with several cracked ribs and the other suffered cuts and bruising following the incident in Montpelier Place, Brighton, earlier this month.

Sussex Police yesterday said they believed the carpet had been deliberately laid out with the intention of fooling officers who were carrying out a raid on a squat.

Commander of Brighton and Hove Police, Chief Superintendent Nev Kemp, posted an image of the hole with the carpet laid to one side on Twitter.

He said: “This is the hole concealed with a rug in a squat that led to two Brighton and Hove police officers being injured.”

His colleague, Sergeant Ned Edwards, said: “Having searched that the next day I am amazed the level of injuries were not far worse.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “This relates to an incident in Montpelier Place, Brighton. Further to that release we now also suspect a carpet over the hole may have been placed there deliberately – two PCs were hurt, while searching the building they fell into the hole.

“The three arrested on suspicion of criminal damage were further arrested and interviewed while in custody about the possible offence of setting a trap to cause grievous bodily harm (Section 31 Offences Against The Person Act 1861) as well as attempting to cause actual bodily harm by throwing objects from the roof.”

The exact depth of the hole is not known, but it is believed to be a trap door which would be used to access areas of the building used for maintenance, for example electricity.


Balaclava-clad squatters took over the church and hurled bottles and paint at passers-by and police during the drama which took place over a number of hours on Saturday, March 8.

Three men, aged 21, 20 and 19, were released on police bail until May 7 while enquiries continue.


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## wizehop

SO it was a raid but these guys had time to set up traps? Aren't raids like huge surprises with people running around in their underwear all confused and shit?...at least they were nice enough to have a ladder for them afterwards.

Either way this isn't going to be good for the squatting community around those parts for the next bit.


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## Kim Chee

I don't believe for a second that it was a booby trap. Everybody knows that a pit dug as a booby trap must have punji stakes to be considered complete.


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## Tick Dickler

serves them right. shame they didnt die.


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## kecleon

Lol. OK so one fell down yeah how would he know but then ANOTHER. look at the photo it's tiny surely they can only do them for the first faller the second one is just an idiot not a victim of a booby trap. And I bet the ribs are from the second one landing on the first one lmao. Mentally picturing this makes me laugh.


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## Tick Dickler

jimyf said:


> Lol. OK so one fell down yeah how would he know but then ANOTHER. look at the photo it's tiny surely they can only do them for the first faller the second one is just an idiot not a victim of a booby trap. And I bet the ribs are from the second one landing on the first one lmao. Mentally picturing this makes me laugh.


Prolly their own fault, then they blamed someone for it.


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## Odin

With the size of the trapdoor... it would seem that if you placed a carpet over it it would sag.... so these fellows were not very perceptive if they see a carpet on the floor with a large depression in it and don't proceed cautiously. 

In that case I think it would not stand to say it was a booby trap as anyone with a slight bit of perception would have noticed. Though if the carpet was laid over the hole with... maybe some thin wooden slats to keep it from sagging and giving the impression of solid ground than you could call it a trap.

I'm curious how the legal end of this will turn out.


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## Matt Derrick

it's entirely possible the cops were just stupid and decided to blame it on the residents of the squat.

on the other hand, if someone did set up this trap, they seriously high scored like 1,000,000 punk points.


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## Tick Dickler

Matt Derrick said:


> it's entirely possible the cops were just stupid and decided to blame it on the residents of the squat.
> 
> on the other hand, if someone did set up this trap, they seriously high scored like 1,000,000 punk points.


haha i know right? fucking genuis. its so simple and so quick, yet so perfect. ive never heard about booby trapped squats before though. is it a common thing? also, why were they there in the first place? lotsoquestions.


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## Matt Derrick

Tick Dickler said:


> haha i know right? fucking genuis. its so simple and so quick, yet so perfect. ive never heard about booby trapped squats before though.



i haven't really seen any hard evidence of that kinda stuff in anything i've read. i _have _heard of/seen people throwing stuff at the cops as their raiding a squat, but not really any 'home alone' type booby traps.



Tick Dickler said:


> also, why were they there in the first place? lotsoquestions.



I gathered the police were kicking out the squatters. seems kinda obvious?


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## Tick Dickler

Matt Derrick said:


> I gathered the police were kicking out the squatters. seems kinda obvious?



well good thing they got hurt then. do the cops in america just raid squats and arrest people? seriously? i was in denmark not so long ago and it seemed like the cops there would give them a warning and then come back in a few days.


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## kecleon

Was in England and yeah cops do what they want more or less. New laws and shit in England going to make it worse and worse.


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## landpirate

There's a little bit more info with regards the raid in the article below. Seems that the squatters got caught whilst getting into the building and so hadn't really set up squat. It also seems that they smashed their way in and so the police had grounds to arrest them for criminal damage and so they didn't get the chance to claim squatters rights (Section 144 does not apply). Its not a residential property so if they had managed to get in without being caught and without damaging the place they would have been ok. Nevertheless, fair play to them for giving the police some shit. 

Also, I've never really seen any proper booby traps in squats before. Running the gauntlet of human shit and used needles probably doesn't count 

There's good info about what you can and can't squat in England here:
http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/trespass_and_nuisance_on_land/#a10
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http://m.theargus.co.uk/news/110642...thrown_from_squat_at_Brighton_church/?ref=mac

*Bottles and paint thrown from squat at Brighton's Montpelier Baptist Church*
By Michael Davies

7:37am Monday 10th March 2014











Balaclava-clad squatters took over a Brighton church and hurled bottles and paint at passers-by and police.

Police officers cordoned off several streets and the force’s helicopter was scrambled as the drama unfolded at Montpelier Place Baptist Church on the border on Brighton and Hove on Saturday evening.

Three men were subsequently arrested and were last night being interviewed by police.

The emergency services were called shortly after 6pm on Saturday following reports of people on the roof of the Montpelier Place Baptist Church in Montpelier Place.

When the first two officers arrived, they – and other members of the public – were bombarded with bottles and other missiles.

They called for back-up and within minutes about nine roads were sealed off.

Katrina Thompson, who was on the way to the pub to meet friends, said: “It all started before I got here but there has been a lot of shouting and policemen walking around with riot helmets on.

“Whoever was on the roof was throwing paint bombs down at the police and the cars.”

With the sun setting, the squatters unfurled a handmade banner over the front of the church which read “The meek shall squat the earth”.

It is thought the slogan is a reference to a bible passage in which Christ declares in the sermon of the Mount “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth”.

By 6.45pm between 20 and 30 officers were stationed in and around the church.

Neighbours reported police men wearing helmets scouring through gardens.

One officer, who was searching the inside church, was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital with chest injuries after falling.

A police car had its windscreen smashed by what a force spokesman described as an “object containing paint”. The Argus also discovered at least one other civilian car with a smashed screen as well as half a dozen paint splats on the pavement.

Miss Thompson added: “The police were taking it all pretty seriously. They closed off a huge area and I haven’t been able to go anywhere.

“The officer told me it was for my own safety as missiles were being thrown.”

A nearby shopkeeper, who did want to give his name, said the squatters had been in the church for the last few days.

Nobody at the church was available for comment.

A police spokesman said: “Shortly after 6pm on Saturday police were called to the Montpelier Place Baptist Church in Montpelier Place, Brighton, after men had been reported on the roof.

“When a police car arrived bottles and other objects were thrown at the two officers and members of the public.

“The area was swiftly contained and searched, and three men were found in gardens nearby less than an hour later.

“Three men, aged 21, 20, and 19, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and are currently in custody for interview and further enquiries.”

Detective Inspector Vicki Harris said: "We are still investigating the full circumstances of this incident but it already clear that both police and nearby public were at risk from what appears to have been a deliberate attempt to cause harm and damage.


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## Tick Dickler

landpirate said:


> There's a little bit more info with regards the raid in the article below. Seems that the squatters got caught whilst getting into the building and so hadn't really set up squat. It also seems that they smashed their way in and so the police had grounds to arrest them for criminal damage and so they didn't get the chance to claim squatters rights (Section 144 does not apply). Its not a residential property so if they had managed to get in without being caught and without damaging the place they would have been ok. Nevertheless, fair play to them for giving the police some shit.
> 
> Also, I've never really seen any proper booby traps in squats before. Running the gauntlet of human shit and used needles probably doesn't count
> 
> There's good info about what you can and can't squat in England here:
> http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/s_to_u/trespass_and_nuisance_on_land/#a10
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> http://m.theargus.co.uk/news/110642...thrown_from_squat_at_Brighton_church/?ref=mac
> 
> *Bottles and paint thrown from squat at Brighton's Montpelier Baptist Church*
> By Michael Davies
> 
> 7:37am Monday 10th March 2014
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Balaclava-clad squatters took over a Brighton church and hurled bottles and paint at passers-by and police.
> 
> Police officers cordoned off several streets and the force’s helicopter was scrambled as the drama unfolded at Montpelier Place Baptist Church on the border on Brighton and Hove on Saturday evening.
> 
> Three men were subsequently arrested and were last night being interviewed by police.
> 
> The emergency services were called shortly after 6pm on Saturday following reports of people on the roof of the Montpelier Place Baptist Church in Montpelier Place.
> 
> When the first two officers arrived, they – and other members of the public – were bombarded with bottles and other missiles.
> 
> They called for back-up and within minutes about nine roads were sealed off.
> 
> Katrina Thompson, who was on the way to the pub to meet friends, said: “It all started before I got here but there has been a lot of shouting and policemen walking around with riot helmets on.
> 
> “Whoever was on the roof was throwing paint bombs down at the police and the cars.”
> 
> With the sun setting, the squatters unfurled a handmade banner over the front of the church which read “The meek shall squat the earth”.
> 
> It is thought the slogan is a reference to a bible passage in which Christ declares in the sermon of the Mount “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth”.
> 
> By 6.45pm between 20 and 30 officers were stationed in and around the church.
> 
> Neighbours reported police men wearing helmets scouring through gardens.
> 
> One officer, who was searching the inside church, was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital with chest injuries after falling.
> 
> A police car had its windscreen smashed by what a force spokesman described as an “object containing paint”. The Argus also discovered at least one other civilian car with a smashed screen as well as half a dozen paint splats on the pavement.
> 
> Miss Thompson added: “The police were taking it all pretty seriously. They closed off a huge area and I haven’t been able to go anywhere.
> 
> “The officer told me it was for my own safety as missiles were being thrown.”
> 
> A nearby shopkeeper, who did want to give his name, said the squatters had been in the church for the last few days.
> 
> Nobody at the church was available for comment.
> 
> A police spokesman said: “Shortly after 6pm on Saturday police were called to the Montpelier Place Baptist Church in Montpelier Place, Brighton, after men had been reported on the roof.
> 
> “When a police car arrived bottles and other objects were thrown at the two officers and members of the public.
> 
> “The area was swiftly contained and searched, and three men were found in gardens nearby less than an hour later.
> 
> “Three men, aged 21, 20, and 19, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and are currently in custody for interview and further enquiries.”
> 
> Detective Inspector Vicki Harris said: "We are still investigating the full circumstances of this incident but it already clear that both police and nearby public were at risk from what appears to have been a deliberate attempt to cause harm and damage.


haha they sure managed to stir up some shit lol.


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## roguetrader

theres a famous story also from Brighton bout a cop car coming to grief at a free party..... pigs turn up and march down to bust the sound system and leave their prowl car on a steep track with the windows rolled down.... unfortunately a passer by let the handbrake off and car goes sailing down the hill until it goes splat at the bottom.....


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## Grubblin

Wait , a second I've seen this before! The first cops name was Larry, the second cops name was Curly, and the last cops name was Moe. I love that episode. Don't worry about those guys, they do this all the time.


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## PAN AM HOBO

if they didn't like that then they would really hate to run into my treble hook man traps a spring trap with 7-8 treble hooks with animal human shit on it to cause infection then my bug out spot has the spike man traps


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## PAN AM HOBO

Kim Chee said:


> I don't believe for a second that it was a booby trap. Everybody knows that a pit dug as a booby trap must have punji stakes to be considered complete.


my bug out spot gots the punji sticks


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## atlastalias

charmander said:


> Lol. OK so one fell down yeah how would he know but then ANOTHER. look at the photo it's tiny surely they can only do them for the first faller the second one is just an idiot not a victim of a booby trap. And I bet the ribs are from the second one landing on the first one lmao. Mentally picturing this makes me laugh.


Yeah, that's what I was wondering


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## TooMuchCoffeeMan

classic


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## creature

1) it has a ladder.. so not a trap.. probably a legit basement access, obviously *built* into the original structure (look at the carpentry on the shaft walls).. & if it's a squat, not 100% complete, well.. shouldn't they sue the *owner* for any unsafe conditions (according to most fucked up legal theories)?

2) WTF is with the carpet still being hung from the corner? the carpet should be *in* the hole, so it is a retouched "show & tell" photo, which means staged to look supportive of the accusations & not representative of the conditions the officers apparently never even *saw*.

3) gotta love those jackboots.

& yeah, curly landing on moe is what prolly what made the snapping sound.. good point..



landpirate said:


> Sergeant Ned Edwards, said: “Having searched that the next day I am amazed the level of injuries were not far worse.”



soo.. he's saying there are 8 stoogies, but only 3 were on duty??


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