In a case described as ‘Dickensian’ by a Northampton Crown Court judge, two Romanian families demonstrated exactly how you shouldn’t move into a new home. The family of three were found moving into an already occupied home in Northampton, accompanied by their young child, when the home’s owner returned to retrieve his lost wallet.
The couple had reportedly broken the home’s locks, and were in the process of moving their own possessions in. The home’s owner returned to find an unfamiliar car in his driveway and the home lights on – two factors that lead him to believe their had been an illegal break-in.
While the couple, Mihai and Laura Dediu, deny attempting to take possessions and items from the home, their case is peculiar in just about every way possible. The two were reportedly told by a ‘man in a shop’ that the home was unoccupied, and believed that they would be able to move in temporarily until they secured long-term housing.
Evidently, the Northampton Crown Court didn’t share their view of ethical property removals. Sentencing them to a 12-month community order and over 100 hours of service, the judge remarked that the case indicates that Britain is “going back to Dickensian times.”
The young family now lives legally at another residence in the area. While their bizarre move-in case has resulted in laughs and groans from Northampton residents, it has laid out a blueprint for exactly how not to move into a new home.
Tags: moving house
