'Cuckooing' criminals took woman's house and turned it into drug den

'Laura' said she was befriended by a couple who moved into her home

A woman has told how she was forced at knifepoint to smoke crack by criminals who turned her home in Dundee into a drug den.

She was a victim of cuckooing - the term used when someone's house is taken over for criminal activity, including dealing, storing or using drugs.

The woman told BBC Scotland News she was initially befriended by a couple who then took her phone and bank cards and stole money from her.

Dundee charity Positive Steps said the issue was "rife" in the city after 52 referrals for cuckooing cases in the last year.

The woman, who we are calling Laura, said she was kept a prisoner in her home for weeks and was tied up and threatened by the couple.

She said: "The lady was sitting with a knife at my throat, and said if I didn't hand over the bank card, then I was getting my throat slashed.

"Or if it didn't take the pipe, then I would get a punch or whatever.

"I was too frightened to tell the police, I didn't know what to do."

Police Scotland said cuckooing was sometimes uncovered on drugs raids

Laura said she was in constant fear of her life.

She said: "I really thought they were going to kill me because they were force-feeding me crack cocaine.

"I was hallucinating, and I couldn't say no because I was bound and force fed it."

Laura said that things became "worse and worse" as the weeks went by.

She said: "I was too frightened to try and leave the house.

"If my door was locked, they would burst the door wide open. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, just didn't know what to do."

What is cuckooing?

Charity Positive Steps had 52 cuckooing referrals in Dundee last year, compared to 29 the year before.

However, the picture across the country is difficult to assess, as Cuckooing is not recorded by police as a specific offence.

The term is used when someone's house is taken over for any criminal activity, which could include dealing drugs or sex work.

It takes its name from the Cuckoo bird - which is known for using the nests of other birds.

Laura said another neighbour was also cuckooed by the same people.

She said: "He had to flee his house.

"It was the same thing, but he actually got a massive hiding (beating).

"And this was just so they could use his house and his money to buy crack cocaine."

Laura was rescued after one of the couple answered the phone which they had stolen from her.

A family member told them to put Laura on the phone immediately and alerted the police.

Laura said: "If they hadn't done that, I don't think I'd be alive today."

Gillian Anderson deals with cuckooing cases for Positive Steps

Police referred Laura’s case to Positive Steps, a charity for vulnerable adults, which helped her find new accommodation and regain her confidence.

Positive Steps was recently awarded £344,000 to expand its cuckooing service.

It previously operated with only one dedicated staff member, Gillian Anderson.

She said: "It's happening right across Dundee, people are even leaving their houses.

"We had a case where somebody jumped out of the window just to escape what was going on."

Ms Anderson said the majority of people targeted were vulnerable women, but men and professional people were also victims.

She said: "They're very clever at what they do.

"I've had a certain person who was bought a drink in a bar and it came from there.

"Or they've wormed their way in through a friend. They get their foot in the door and it goes from there."

'Laura' said she was forced by criminals to smoke crack cociane

Ms Anderson said victims were subjected to various ordeals.

"Some people, like Laura, were bound and gagged.

"There's people that have lost everything in their house, the furniture, the white goods, their bank accounts are emptied.

"There's been sexual and physical assaults.

"Some people never go back and leave all their possessions. Some people have moved from Dundee, just to escape from it all."

She said Positive Steps would help victims find a new home.

She said: "We work in partnership with the police. The priority is usually housing, so we'll look at temporary accommodation.

"We'll also get them panic alarms and Ring doorbells."

A few days before meeting Laura, I accompanied police officers enforcing a warrant to search a property suspected of being involved in drug activity.

Officers in riot gear flooded into the house, looking for controlled drugs and evidence of any potential cuckooing. On this occasion, neither were found.

Sgt Elise Wilson said officers are on the look out for signs of cuckooing

Sgt Elise Wilson, who works closely with organisations like Positive Steps, said it was just one way cuckooing can be uncovered.

She said: "Cuckooing can be discovered through enforcement the police undertake.

"However, often members of the public will often feed information to the control room that filters on to officers to follow up.

"Signs might include a neighbour who has become more withdrawn, there could be additional people coming and going from their address at different times of the day and night.

"Also, new faces or accents from other towns. There could be drug paraphernalia in the common close, all signs we ask people to keep an eye open for."

Back at Positive Steps, Laura said anyone in her situation should get help before it's too late.

She said: "I still think about it. I mean, it's still there in my head, but I just get on with my day-to -day life.

"They made out they were my friends, but they weren't. They were evil, very evil people."