Woman tells people not to panic after cops mistook it for a child
A fed-up mum has been forced to put stickers in her window demanding people "not to panic or break in" if they see her life-like dolls after police smashed down her door thinking one was an abandoned child.
Ava Prior, who paints the ultra-realistic baby 'reborn' dolls as a hobby and flogs them for up to £180 a pop, spent hours diligently painting the doll's delicate features. After putting the final touches to the baby, the stay-at-home mum dressed it in a snowsuit and placed it in a carrycot to take photos to advertise it online.
After taking a few snaps of the true-to-life vinyl model the 44-year-old left the carrycot on the floor, flicked the light switch off and went over to her friend's house with her youngest son for a catch-up. Unbeknown to Ava her charging phone wasn't switched on and her mum, who she speaks to regularly, was worried when she couldn't reach her so called the police.
When cops arrived at the house, Ava says they spotted the "unresponsive'" doll through the window and, concerned for its welfare, smashed through her patio doors to rescue it. Later that evening West Mercia Police tracked her down to her pal's house and told her what happened - also urging her to call her worried mum too.
The mum-of-three, who shared the incident on Facebook on December 5th, says she was forced to cough up £400 to fix damage to the front and back door and a boarding-up fee. To prevent it happening again, Ava had custom-made stickers for her window that read: 'Reborn dolls on premises. NO babies are alone in the house - please do NOT panic or break doors/window. Many thanks :)'.
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Ava, from Malvern, Worcestershire, said: "It wasn't hilarious at the time but I can see the funny side now. I had to have the back door boarded up, which cost £260, the glass for the back door was £120 and £60 to repair the front door. I was looking at about £350 - £400 by the time I was done.
West Mercia Police mistook the doll in the carrycot for a real baby (Kennedy News and Media)
She says someone reported her and police broke in, causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage (Kennedy News and Media)"My Mum and I had a bit of an argument, but very quickly I could see why she did it. I've got a grown-up daughter. If I couldn't get hold of her, you lose your rational thought, don't you?" The artist had left a recently completed doll in its cot on the floor before heading to a friend's house - without realising it was in full view of the window.
Ava said: "I'd finished a baby and was going to list it for sale so it was all dressed in a snowsuit and put in a carrier car seat for pictures. I'd left the car seat on the floor in the lounge next to the fire. After I went to my friend's house, taking my real child, in the early evening. It was dark when they found me at my friend's house.
"When the police knocked at the door my friend came in and said 'it's for you'. I went to the door and they said 'do you have a baby?' and then I realised what it was about. I told them I painted life-like dolls and they said 'well you're very good at it because we've just broken into your house'. They also said I needed to phone my mum as she was upset because she thought something had happened to me.
The mum claims she's been forced to put stickers in her window urging people 'not to panic or break in' (Kennedy News and Media)"When I went out my phone died, I put it on charge at my friend's house but it hadn't turned back on. I was going through a divorce at the time. I always answer my phone or text, so when she couldn't get hold of me she panicked. She called the police and that's when they went round and saw the seat with the doll and broke in. The UPVC front door had the trim off it and a big dent in the front. Apparently that didn't give way so they went round the back and then put the patio door through."
Ava, who has since moved house, had the stickers made to quell any further panic and prevent her windows or doors being broken again. Ava said: "I bought the stickers because of this incident and the fact that this house goes right onto the path, so if you walk past my living room window you can see into my lounge.
"The other one was on a close and was prompted by my mum's call, but I'm aware there's heavy traffic outside my front and they do look through. Over Christmas I had one dressed up as an elf underneath the tree and I thought 'I really don't need somebody saying everytime I walk past this house the baby's on its own'.
The sticker's there as a precaution as I don't want to be replacing the doors or the windows again." West Mercia Police confirmed officers gained entry to the property in December 2020 after a report of a concern for welfare.
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