They shall not pass!
Sarah, 73, single-handedly stops travellers entering beauty spot ... but not before they hurl her to ground and knock false teeth out
SHE’S blind in one eye and reliant on a walking stick to get around, but 73-year-old Sarah Freeman was determined to stop a group of travellers setting up camp on a beauty spot.
She was manhandled, subjected to a stream of abuse and pushed over – but she bravely stood her ground.
Her false teeth flew out at one point as she was knocked over but her defiance paid off when police finally arrived and the travellers gave up their planned invasion.
The extraordinary scenes unfolded at Hilly Fields in Colchester, Essex, as startled passers-by gathered round and some filmed what was happening on mobile phones.
‘I wasn’t going to let go, even if it killed me,’ said Miss Freeman. ‘I wrapped myself around the concealed padlock [in the gate] and they claimed “We have every right to be here”.
‘I was taken aback and said “Show it to me in writing”. That’s when it got a bit heated. I wasn’t really fighting them, I was just holding the gate closed.
‘I opened my mouth and they said if I tried to bite them they’d bash my teeth. I just thought “I’ve got plastic teeth, how could I bite them?”.
‘Three of them were trying to pull me off and my teeth came out and I just thought “How embarrassing”. I put them back in and I thought I was like Gandalf [in Lord of the Rings], saying “You shall not pass”.
‘They were calling me all sorts of rude names but it didn’t bother me. I wasn’t scared when it was happening, I was just running on adrenaline. It was only when it was over that I was shaking.’
Miss Freeman, who lives alone in Colchester following the death of her long-term partner, was left with bruised arms following her intervention on Thursday.
She had been out walking her two dogs, Jack Russell Alfie and Jack Russell cross Biscuit, when she saw a van pull up, followed by seven caravans. Three youngsters tried to open the gate before they were joined by adults.
The retired Royal Mail worker leapt into action to protect the 80-acre council-owned site, which is designated as a Local Wildlife Site and a Scheduled Ancient Monument because of Iron Age and Roman remains.
Another group of travellers camped there last year, lighting fires and dumping rubbish and human excrement, and she was determined that it would not be ruined once more.
‘I was watching all these vans pull up and thought “Not again”,’ Miss Freeman said. Musician James Peters, 46, who recorded the incident on his mobile phone, described Miss Freeman as ‘so brave’. He added: ‘What she did truly was remarkable. Every time the travellers touched her she screamed, loudly.
‘It didn’t seem to put them off but it drew the attention of more and more people. Quite a crowd gathered the longer it went on for. They were pushing her and shoving her and they threw her to the ground. It was definitely an assault – there’s no doubt about it.’ Miss Freeman’s ordeal lasted for what must have seemed like a very long ten minutes.
The red gate was installed before last year’s invasion by another group of travellers. A lockable metal bollard that slots into the ground is also supposed to help prevent illegal access.
Essex Police last night confirmed members of the public had described seeing a woman being assaulted. A spokesman added: ‘Enquiries are being progressed.’ Colchester Borough Council said it wasn’t able to improve the security measures at the beauty spot because to do so would prevent legitimate vehicles entering it.
It said: ‘Following last year’s illegal encampment, the council installed a lockable bollard behind the vehicular barrier as an additional line of defence.
‘ Only where deep ditches, impenetrable fencing, concrete barriers, etc. are installed could permanent access be prevented, which would of course also permanently prevent access by permitted vehicles.’
‘I wasn’t going to let go, even if it killed me’