Edinburgh Evening News Wednesday, 2nd May 2001 Fury at bid to evict blind girl from flat MARK SMITH ==================================== A MAJOR police operation swung into action today to evict a blind woman from her home. A crowd of protesters were involved in angry scenes as sheriff officers attempted to evict Vicky Haylott, who was undressed when the eviction attempt began. Ms Haylott, 20, could be seen screaming and naked at her back window as sheriff officers attempted to remove her from the home where she has stayed for a year. Sheriff officers staged an early morning raid on the house using a battering ram to break down Ms Haylott's back door. Ms Haylott's ex-partner, who moved out a year ago, is the official tenant of the council house and is taking legal moves to evict her. Angry neighbours arrived on the scene today and attempted to stop the eviction. By 9.30am, there was a stand-off with Ms Haylott still in the house refusing to leave. Her brother, Greg, broke through a police cordon to jump in her bedroom window. He was then hauled out of the house by police. He said: "She is in there with no clothes on and she is being watched by eight sheriff officers. "I can't believe that they can get away with this in this day and age. We can't let them do it. "They are going to drag her out of the house. They should at least have another woman in there with here, she is terrified." Ms Haylott's mother Elaine turned up as sheriff officers attempted to carry out the eviction. She claimed that because her daughter was not able to read the warrant, it was in breach of human rights laws. Protesters attempted to gain entry to the house but were pushed back by police. Ms Haylott, who was in the house alone, communicated with friends and family outside the home at 33 Whitehill Grove, Dalkeith. Neighbour Elizabeth Ward said they had been alerted to the eviction attempt when Ms Haylott's alarm system was activated as sheriff officers attempted to break down her back door. Mrs Ward said: "As soon as we heard Vicky's alarm we all rushed out of our homes to try and put a stop to it." The protest was led by Bob Goupillot, Midlothian candidate for the Scottish Socialist Party. During the protest, Mr Goupillot was forcibly removed from Ms Haylott's back yard. Mr Goupillot said: "I think it's outrageous that Midlothian Council has allowed this to happen at one of their council houses. "We have a troop of sheriff officers and police officers all to evict one young woman. It's an absolute disgrace that this could happen in a so-called civilised country." Ms Haylott had agreed to move out of the house and had been offered an alternative property in Dalkeith. However, she had asked for some time to gather her belongings and try and build up a mental picture of the area around her new house. A previous eviction attempt was temporarily called off at the end of March after 70 neighbours turned up to protest against the move. The eviction notice was served on March 27 when her former partner moved out of the house. The row blew up again in April when a mother accused sheriff officers of using her ten-year-old son who has severe learning difficulties in an operation to try and evict Ms Haylott from her home. Michelle Kocaba claimed she saw the sheriff officers approach her son Robert, who has the mental age of a four-year-old, and ask him to knock on the woman's door and ask her to open it. Since the incident at the end of April, neighbours have been taking it in turns to stay with Ms Haylott after her solicitors instructed her not to leave her home.
