A mum today hit out at police after officers used a battering ram on her new home – even though she’d told them twice before the man they were looking for had moved more than a year ago.

Police smashed through Stacey Trim’s front door and went through her belongings while she was out visiting her mum with her nine-year-old daughter.

When she returned to her Aberdeen home and saw the police cars, Stacey said she thought she’d been burgled – and was angered to discover they were looking for a previous tenant.

Stacey, 36, said she swapped homes with the man, who she doesn’t know, last year through a council house exchange programme and since then has had three visits from police who believed he still lived there.

Stacey claims the first force visit came just before Christmas last year and she explained to officers that the man now lived at her former home.

The police left but returned once more just after Christmas.

Stacey says she again explained the house swap to officers and told them where they could find the man.

She had no more contact with police until Sunday – when she said she returned home to find her door smashed in and officers going through her cupboards.

Police said the raid was part of a “major” investigation.

Stacey said: “When I came home and saw all the police outside my house I thought I had been burgled.

“There were about five police cars outside.”

Stacey says she could understand Police Scotland making the mistake once.

But she wished they had checked the wanted man’s address with the local authority before the return visits.

She said: “They could have even done a bit of surveillance to check if he may have stayed at this address. I have stayed here since March last year and the fact that I don’t know the guy makes me even more angry.”

Stacey, who works as a waitress and florist, was told to sit in the living room while the police looked through her clothes drawers, washing machine, kitchen cupboards, bedroom and sofa.

She has now complained to the police about what happened and an investigation has been launched into the circumstances.

A police spokeswoman said: “A search warrant was granted and executed on Sunday in Aberdeen as part of a major investigation.

“We have since received a complaint regarding the warrant which we are investigating, and we will respond accordingly to the complainer.”