Ex-captain sues over blaze arrest

Capt Carlisle is locked in a legal battle with the police

A retired army captain is suing Dyfed-Powys Police for unlawful arrest, claiming they prevented him from saving heirlooms in a fire at his manor.

Capt Edmund Carlisle, 83, and wife Rosemary, 82, dialled 999 and set about saving antiques and paintings at his Powys home during the blaze in 2003.

Police arrived and ordered the couple out of the property, but Capt Carlisle refused and was arrested.

Dyfed-Powys Police said it was seeking to "strike the claim out".

It is claimed that possessions valued at £143,000 were destroyed in the fire at Capt and Mrs Carlisle 16th Century, Grade II-listed property worth £580,000 in Llanigon, near Hay-on-Wye.

The civil case against Dyfed-Powys Police for unlawful arrest was due to be heard at the High Court in Cardiff on Thursday, but was adjourned until June.

With my military record I'm not someone who will stand around and watch things happen Capt Edmund Carlisle

If Capt Carlisle, a former Life Guard who served in India, wins his case it will pave the way for him to claim for the loss of his home and valuables.

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed the Carlisles were taking legal action.

Capt Carlisle said: "It was my right as a property owner to make my own choice.

"I am 83 and I have faced much greater dangers than a slightly smoky room. My wife and I were at home when the fire broke out in a boiler house at the rear of our property.

"Rosemary and I started taking the paintings off the walls and carrying them outside.

"We are in our eighties and have collected those things over the course of a lifetime. With my military record I'm not someone who will stand around and watch things happen."

The fire in 2003 gutted the Carlisles' home

He said when police arrived they ordered him out of the burning house, but when he refused he alleged that he was bundled into the back of a police van.

He said his wife was locked in the back of another police car, and he claimed his neighbours were also threatened with arrest if they tried to enter the house.

The six bedroom property, which has views over the Brecon Beacons National Park, was under-insured, said Capt Carlisle. It was gutted in the blaze.

Father-of-two Capt Carlisle, who farms cattle and sheep on his 300 acre property, is now living at a farm worker's cottage on his estate.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesman said: "Captain Carlisle has issued civil proceedings against Dyfed-Powys Police. On legal advice, the force seeks to strike the claim out."