// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Police admit unlawful home entry and assault of couple
Derbyshire Police admitted its officers went outside their powers and acted unlawfully in December 2022
A couple have been awarded £9,000 in damages after police admitted its officers unlawfully entered their home and assaulted them nearly four years ago.
Andrew and Sabrina Fearn had a house party in their home in December 2022. Earlier, Sabrina had called police and officers attended before leaving. They then returned, believing someone was injured inside and wanted access.
Sabrina refused, but officers forced entry and used physical force on her, according to legal documents. Andrew then stepped in before "unnecessary force" was used on him.
Both were arrested and charged with assaulting an emergency worker, but their trial was halted when police admitted the forced house entry was unlawful.
Andrew and Sabrina, from Alvaston in Derby, pursued a civil claim against the force, and the case has now been settled for £9,000, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.
According to the legal claim submitted by the couple, a gathering at their home ended when they discovered one of the guests had a knife.
Sabrina called the police, which attended and then left shortly after.
But soon after, several officers returned wanting to gain entry, believing someone was injured inside and needed urgent medical attention.
Sabrina, 31, refused to let police in, saying the party had finished and no guests remained. She tried to stop police from entering her house, before officers forced entry and used physical force on her.