The doll-maker put up stickers on her windows to prevent anything similar from happening again
A woman in the UK's Worcestershire was left shocked after police officers broke into her home to save what they thought was an abandoned baby. Turns out, it was only an extremely realistic doll and not a real baby. According to Metro, Ava Prior, a mother of three, paints ultra-realistic 'reborn' dolls as a hobby and sells them. The doll was so convincing that police officers smashed her door to rescue one, causing more than 400 pounds (Rs 41,724) worth of damage.
The incident happened in December last year when Ms Prior created one such doll, dressed it in a snowsuit, and put it in a carrycot so she could take photos to sell it online. After clicking pics, she left the carrycot on the floor and headed to her friend's with her youngest son for a catch-up. Meanwhile, her mother, who she talks to regularly, couldn't contact her as her phone was switched off and she put it on charge at her friend's place. Fearing something bad, her mother called the police who immediately reached Ms Prior's home to check up on her.
When they reached there, they saw the fake baby through the window and thought it was abandoned. Concerned for its safety, officers from West Mercia Police smashed through the patio doors of the home to get to it. Cops then tracked Mr Prior down at her friend's and explained to her what happned.
''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. 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 explained.
After the hilarious mix-up, the doll-maker put up stickers on her windows to prevent anything similar from happening again. It read, ''Reborn dolls on-premises. NO babies are alone in the house – please do NOT panic or break doors/windows. Many thanks.''
Ms Prior added, ''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 pounds, the glass for the back door was 120 pounds, and it 60 pounds to repair the front door. I was looking at about 350 – 400 pounds by the time I was done.''
Each doll costs around 180 pounds (Rs 18,771).