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Forerunner
The occasional football flying over the garden fence is an inconvenience familiar to most people with a young family as neighbours.
It is certainly familiar to Ray Markham. He has returned more than 50 balls to policeman neighbour Stewart Bosworth and his two sons over the last two years.
But when one leather ball crashed into his greenhouse recently, breaking a pane, the retired taxi firm manager decided to take a stand and refused to hand it back.
The incident prompted Sergeant Bosworth to call in four colleagues from Warwickshire police to arrest Mr Markham, 68, for alleged theft of the ball.
Yesterday the father-of-three accused Sergeant Bosworth of using his position to harass him. Mr Markham, a parish councillor, said: "I don't mind the odd ball going over the fence and I have happily returned dozens of them in the past.
"But recently more and more have been going over - 13 in three days at one point. Stewart has got to start acting like a responsible neighbour. When the greenhouse was smashed I thought it was time I made a stand.
'Ridiculous'
"But to have four police officers turn up on my doorstep to arrest me for theft was ridiculous. I was treated like a criminal. I can't believe they would have acted the way they did if Stewart was not a policeman. If only they were so keen to investigate burglaries and other real crimes."
Mr Markham and wife Doreen, 66, have lived in the three-bedroom semi detached home at Cubbington, near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, since 1958.
Sergeant Bosworth
Sergeant Bosworth: Called out his colleagues
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Sergeant Bosworth, who is based at Leamington Spa police station, and wife Dawn, 40, moved in nine years ago. The couple's sons are both under ten.
Mr Markham said the number of footballs landing in his garden, which is separated from his neighbour by a 6ft wooden fence, intensified in April. Many of the footballs are light, plastic balls but some have been heavier leather varieties. He said the incident which triggered the police action happened last month.
"I told Stewart I would only return me the ball if he guaranteed this wouldn't happen again, but he refused," Mr Markham said.
"He told me he was a policeman and he could do what he wanted. The next thing I knew, two police officers turned up saying they were investigating the theft of a football."
Mr Markham refused to hand over the ball and was arrested. But when he saw the incident was upsetting his wife, he relented and gave the ball back. He was then de-arrested and the officers left.
'Alleged theft'
But 20 minutes later, two more officers arrived to investigate the alleged theft. Mr Markham, who has never been in trouble with the law, says the incident has robbed him of his faith in the police.
He has a total of 14 balls which have come over his fence since April. Mr Markham said his neighbour had only asked him to return the one ball, which he believed was a special edition World Cup ball.
He has written a letter of complaint to the force's area commander. An inspector has since visited him to confirm she sanctioned the police action.
Mrs Markham said: "It was all a total over-reaction. They threatened to take my husband away, but here have been burglaries in this village and the police don't want to know."
There was no sign of the Bosworths at their home yesterday. A Warwickshire Police spokesman said: "We are aware of the incident and given Mr Markham's concerns, the matter will be investigated by our professional standards unit."
Source: Pensioner who kept neighbour's football 'treated like a criminal' | the Daily Mail
It is certainly familiar to Ray Markham. He has returned more than 50 balls to policeman neighbour Stewart Bosworth and his two sons over the last two years.
But when one leather ball crashed into his greenhouse recently, breaking a pane, the retired taxi firm manager decided to take a stand and refused to hand it back.
The incident prompted Sergeant Bosworth to call in four colleagues from Warwickshire police to arrest Mr Markham, 68, for alleged theft of the ball.
Yesterday the father-of-three accused Sergeant Bosworth of using his position to harass him. Mr Markham, a parish councillor, said: "I don't mind the odd ball going over the fence and I have happily returned dozens of them in the past.
"But recently more and more have been going over - 13 in three days at one point. Stewart has got to start acting like a responsible neighbour. When the greenhouse was smashed I thought it was time I made a stand.
'Ridiculous'
"But to have four police officers turn up on my doorstep to arrest me for theft was ridiculous. I was treated like a criminal. I can't believe they would have acted the way they did if Stewart was not a policeman. If only they were so keen to investigate burglaries and other real crimes."
Mr Markham and wife Doreen, 66, have lived in the three-bedroom semi detached home at Cubbington, near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, since 1958.
Sergeant Bosworth
Sergeant Bosworth: Called out his colleagues
Enlarge the image
Sergeant Bosworth, who is based at Leamington Spa police station, and wife Dawn, 40, moved in nine years ago. The couple's sons are both under ten.
Mr Markham said the number of footballs landing in his garden, which is separated from his neighbour by a 6ft wooden fence, intensified in April. Many of the footballs are light, plastic balls but some have been heavier leather varieties. He said the incident which triggered the police action happened last month.
"I told Stewart I would only return me the ball if he guaranteed this wouldn't happen again, but he refused," Mr Markham said.
"He told me he was a policeman and he could do what he wanted. The next thing I knew, two police officers turned up saying they were investigating the theft of a football."
Mr Markham refused to hand over the ball and was arrested. But when he saw the incident was upsetting his wife, he relented and gave the ball back. He was then de-arrested and the officers left.
'Alleged theft'
But 20 minutes later, two more officers arrived to investigate the alleged theft. Mr Markham, who has never been in trouble with the law, says the incident has robbed him of his faith in the police.
He has a total of 14 balls which have come over his fence since April. Mr Markham said his neighbour had only asked him to return the one ball, which he believed was a special edition World Cup ball.
He has written a letter of complaint to the force's area commander. An inspector has since visited him to confirm she sanctioned the police action.
Mrs Markham said: "It was all a total over-reaction. They threatened to take my husband away, but here have been burglaries in this village and the police don't want to know."
There was no sign of the Bosworths at their home yesterday. A Warwickshire Police spokesman said: "We are aware of the incident and given Mr Markham's concerns, the matter will be investigated by our professional standards unit."
Source: Pensioner who kept neighbour's football 'treated like a criminal' | the Daily Mail
