Courtney Barnes' home was raided by police while her daughter Brooke was asleep upstairs

by Lewis Dyson

ldyson@thekmgroup.co.uk

A mum has spoken of her terror after armed police raided her home in the search for a suspected burglar.

Courtney Barnes said she was “hysterical” as officers aimed machine guns at her, while her 22-month-old daughter sobbed upstairs.

A helicopter and a dog unit were also sent to the house, in Jefferson Road, Sheerness, in the early hours of Sunday.

Miss Barnes, 18, is now planning to lodge a complaint against Kent Police as she claims they raided the wrong address.

“They had guns pointed at us and I could hear my daughter crying upstairs. I went to stand up to go get my daughter but they wouldn’t let me,” she said.

Miss Barnes was watching a film with three male friends when police swooped between 2.30am and 3am - while her one-year-old daughter Brooke slept.

She said: “They wouldn’t listen to anything I was saying. The only explanation they gave me was it was something to do with clothing connected to an armed robbery.

“They didn’t find anything, there was nothing to find.

“The police came back into my house and said sorry for the inconvenience and they were looking for a male but that’s all.”

Although there was no damage to the property, Miss Barnes is planning to lodge an official complaint with Kent Police.

However, a police spokesman said they had received information the wanted man was at Miss Barnes’ house.

The spokesman said: “It was important to act swiftly on the information we had received to try and locate the suspect.”

No arrests were made, but police refused to release any further details about the suspect.