Schoolboy twins evicted by court

Two schoolboy twins have been evicted from their town centre flat under anti-social behaviour legislation.

Christopher and Scott Sammons, who are 17, hosted regular parties that led to complaints from neighbours of drunken behaviour, fighting and noise.

A court has now banned them from entering the flat in Ashgrove Court, Elgin, which is owned by their mother.

The closure order was secured at Elgin Sheriff Court by Moray Council and Grampian Police.

It was enforced on Wednesday afternoon, immediately after it was granted.

Steel shutters have been put over the doors and windows of the flat to ensure no-one is able to get in.

When the closure order was served on the boys, one of them started to chew the paper copy in front of the police officers.

"I have no problem with them being evicted, but the closure order effectively prevents me from letting the flat out to someone else or selling it"
Susan Sammons
Mother

The boys' mother, Susan Sammons, and grandmother, Rosemary Barker, were present in court when the order was granted, but the boys were at school.

Approving the closure order, Sheriff Noel McPartlin told Mrs Sammons there was plenty of cause for the order, to which she agreed.

"I have no problem with them being evicted, but the closure order effectively prevents me from letting the flat out to someone else or selling it," she told the court.

After a short adjournment it was agreed that the closure order be made for two weeks, by which time the two boys will have departed to Zambia to stay with their father.

Mrs Sammons told the court she did not want her sons staying with her or her mother.

'No alternative'

Moray Council said the closure order was "unprecedented" and was the result of more than two months of anti-social behaviour perpetrated by the twins and their various houseguests.

A spokesman said: "Since the pair moved into the property on 4 June, neighbours have suffered a serious downturn in their quality of life. The boys have hosted numerous parties and operate an open house regime that attracts an undesirable element to the cul-de-sac.

"Police have attended on 26 occasions in response to complaints of drunken behaviour, fighting and noisy, alcohol-fuelled disturbances that have shattered the peace of the quiet residential area.

"These disturbances have occurred at all times of the day and night. Previously the police had only cause to attend the neighbourhood once in two years."

In the application by Grampian Police to the Sheriff, neighbours stated that they have been surviving on an average of three hour's sleep a night, and many have spent weekends away from their homes with friends to secure some respite.

Superintendent Alan Smailes of Grampian Police said: "Whilst we appreciate the measures which we have taken are extreme, the persistent behaviour by individuals left us with no alternative and we would not hesitate to do this again in similar circumstances."

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