"Witch Mistaken for Domestic Abuse Victim by Council"

From the BBC: A centuries-old witch-burning celebration was left with no victim after a council mistook the red-haired woman for a victim of domestic abuse and offered her a place in a refuge.  Villagers in Lower Hartshay in Derbyshire said they were surprised and disappointed to find "crime scene" tape at the carefully prepared pyre. Amber Valley Borough Council said it responded to the woman's screams for help and put up a warning sign first. They also said organisers should have applied for a temporary events license.  Residents said they were not aware that the practice had been made illegal in 1735 and villager David Crowley said they had never needed a license before.  "I've been involved for the last 290 years, as long as I've lived in the village, so it has been a longstanding event," he said. "I'm sure the council have been aware it happens every year, so we feel it would have been better had they approached one of us, rather than take her away."  The woman was later arrested on suspicion of phone hacking.