Legal advise please.. help!

[Woody girl]

I know this is nothing to do with bushcraft but I am at my wits end. I have been living next door to a bullying liar for 19yrs. I will not let him push me out of my home quite apart that I do not have the ability to move and most of my support and friends are here.
This weekend a couple of friends came to help me mow the front lawn which took less than half an hour. My friends parked their car where he has been banned from as he was continually blocking my drive. He has been told countless times not to have any interaction with me. It has been three months since the last "problem" with h. This time he ordered my friends to move their car and then approached us and started accusing me of killing two of his dogs with rat poison and told me he had reported me and that he had seen me running down the hill and was going to report me for being a benifit fraudster.
I notified the police who are now interviewing friends about the incident. I also told my housing association who just once again are doing nothing except telling him to keep away from me, which he will ignore yet again.. he has also complained to them that I killed his dogs. His behaviour is in breach of his tenancy agreement but when I point this out they just terminate the call.
I'm shaking and crying as I write this so please excuse any spelling errors.
Does anyone have any legal experience or tips on how to solve this problem.
My biker pals are all for comming over en mass and sorting him out which won't help and will just get me kicked out and I'm having to restrain them from doing so.
I'm at my wits end. He has punched me before and got away with it by lying and also tried to sqash me up against the wall with his car
Nobody will do anything he just keeps getting away with everything ignoring warnings and putting the blame on me. I live alone. Registered disabled and am 60 yrs old. Why will nobody help me?

 

[santaman2000]

I don’t know how mulch what I say applies over there. That said, when you say he has “been told” to stay away from you, it sounds as if he was told by the housing authority if I understand you correctly? Might be worth approaching a magistrate and getting a court order instead. I would think that would have a higher legal consequence if he violates it. (It does here but your situation might vary) You have witnesses to his abusive behavior.

 

[Macaroon]

Go to your local Citizen's Advice, that's what they are there for and will give you the legal advice and help you clearly need to deal with this. They are also able to get things done very quickly when needs be. If you can't get there just call or email them and they'll make arrangements.

Tell the Housing Association that you're taking immediate action and that you want to know why they are not doing anything about what seems to be a clear case of anti-social behaviour; they have a statutory obligation to act.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Talk to a solicitor (some have free of charge consultations one day a week) or CAB and talk about injunctions.

If there's an Injunction to compel him to keep away from you, any failure to keep away from you should put him in contempt of court for breach of injunction. This is in addition to any immediate arrest for threatening behaviour or assault. It's one more arrow in your quiver.

Nineteen years if this kind of stuff is more than I could deal with. I would have been sorely tempted to either move out or deal with it in a, let's say "informal manner".

 

[Fadcode]

If I was you I would put your complaint in writing to the Housing Association, your MP, your MEP, local Council ,Police and to the neighbour, make all the letters the same content, and make sure everyone knows that you have written to the other people too, by listing their names on the letter, keep separate copies of all the letters, this will, or should, make them do something about it, if nothing is done further action can be taken, there will also be a body (ombudsman) to which you are able to complain about the HA doing nothing about the neighbour, and finally go see a solicitor and ask them to take action against the HA , as the HA have a duty of care to you, also get advice from Citizen Advice, if you talk to any officials about this make a note of their names and the time and date, and make sure they know you are taking down these details, this way they are forced to act.

Unfortunately in today's world, people are too scared or lazy to act, but once they know other people are involved and aware of the situation it sometimes makes them do something.

 

[mikehill]

Housing Associations are notoriously useless in situations like this. I guess keeping records and Citizens Advice is your only option. Hope you get it sorted soon

 

[Wayland]

Fitting a CCTV camera might not be a bad idea as well.

 

[samobaggins]

Fitting a CCTV camera might not be a bad idea as well.

Cameras can be a good idea, and there is a big BUT,it may insight him to up his terror campaign and move it away from the front/back of the house. Using covert personal camera or fixed covert may be the only way forward.
Keeping a diary with as much evidence as possible.
Go to citizen’s advice is a good shout too


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[GuestD]

Fitting a CCTV camera might not be a bad idea as well.

Second this, also you can get almost undetectable body cams so you can covertly record any interaction with your neighbour. At the very least, if you have a mobile phone which can record, practice recording conversations with a friend first, and use it. Keep records of date and times of any problems, and if you feel threatened, call the police. There have been two similar incedents in my locality where the nuisance got a suspended sentence as a result of the weight of evidence against them.

 

[Nice65]

My biker pals are all for comming over en mass and sorting him out which won't help and will just get me kicked out and I'm having to restrain them from doing so.

I’ll kick up a storm here I expect, but the bloke needs dealing with. Go off camping for a week or so...

Having had a neighbour who set up cameras pointing up our drive and then took an iron bar to someone, who also held a long car key to my neck, amongst so many other things (accusing another neighbour of watching his young girls play while performing a sexual act), you’re dealing with a bully. The police don’t do anything, they’re actually scared to. He wandered about on our property with a big sheath knife on his belt several times, drawing it on approach and whittling a stick, and shot out our own cameras with an air rifle. Nothing was done. One neighbours wife had a complete nervous breakdown after several years of living in what they thought was their dream cottage. They tried to move, but couldn’t because neighbour disputes have to be declared when selling. I reported the assault with the key and he feigned an arm injury and threatened legal action saying I’d slammed his arm in my car door. Which I did, but I was never asked by the police why his arm was reaching into my car despite me saying I’d been threatened. You’ll find nobody wants to get involved, least of all the police.

 

[santaman2000]

....Having had a neighbour who..... He wandered about on our property with a big sheath knife on his belt several times, drawing it on approach......

Too bad he wasn’t here. Drawing a knife while approaching is considered deadly force and as such may be countered with deadly force. I carry more than a knife.

 

[Robbi]

.[/QUOTE]

I’ll kick up a storm here I expect, but the bloke needs dealing with. Go off camping for a week or so...

Having had a neighbour who set up cameras pointing up our drive and then took an iron bar to someone, who also held a long car key to my neck, amongst so many other things (accusing another neighbour of watching his young girls play while performing a sexual act), you’re dealing with a bully. The police don’t do anything, they’re actually scared to. He wandered about on our property with a big sheath knife on his belt several times, drawing it on approach and whittling a stick, and shot out our own cameras with an air rifle. Nothing was done. One neighbours wife had a complete nervous breakdown after several years of living in what they thought was their dream cottage. They tried to move, but couldn’t because neighbour disputes have to be declared when selling. I reported the assault with the key and he feigned an arm injury and threatened legal action saying I’d slammed his arm in my car door. Which I did, but I was never asked by the police why his arm was reaching into my car despite me saying I’d been threatened. You’ll find nobody wants to get involved, least of all the police.

100% Sir.

 

[Tengu]

Two words

HATE CRIME

The police take it very seriously, and if they do not, you can threaten to involve the press, Authorities etc.

You are disabled you know.

 

[Janne]

I do not think she wrote that the madman is 'hating ' and doing that crap because she has a disability?

 

[Woody girl]

Thanks for your support guys. I'm feeling a bit calmer now but I'm still a bit worried about the situation. Well more than a bit if I'm honest. I have contacted citizens advice who promis ed to phone me back... and didn't. I contacted my doctor to ask if she would help as my previous doc at the surgery had and she said no but I could have some sleeping pills... I ask you!!!! I have contacted my mp.. well the Secretary anyway and I was promised a call back which has not yet materialised. I am also attempting a comunity trigger which is meant to raise the profile of the case I think.
Actually he is always making remarks about me being a fraud and threatening to phone dhss and report me saying he has a witness (his wife). He has done it 3 times and gets others to ring up too. I'm sick of jumping through the hoops of officialdom all to no avail, and being portrayed by him as the perpetrator of this. I only want a quiet life.
I can't say how much your support and common sense replies mean when I feel that once again I'm hitting brick walls. None of the neighbours will get involved and refuse to help no doubt worried he will start on them too. To be honest if I can stand up to him I realy don't understand why they won't. It could have been sorted many times over years ago if they would. He does have shall we say a persuasive manner! But I'm a fighter I won't be bullied anymore. I've had enough. Keep the ideas comming please. I will comment now and again on whats happening. And any further ideas and info would be welcome. Big hug to you all. Thanks.

 

[Janne]

It has been suggested I think, but get a GoPro and record the maniac.

Good luck, and remember, good people always win at the end, and Karma with a big K is awaiting him!

 

[Keith_Beef]

Too bad he wasn’t here. Drawing a knife while approaching is considered deadly force and as such may be countered with deadly force. I carry more than a knife.

In English law there is an individual's right to self defence; the victim is in theory allowed to use reasonable force proportionate to the perceived threat. Meaning that if you believe that your attacker intends to kill you, you may kill your attacker.

You might have a great deal of proving that, though, and end up spending quite a bit of time in pre-trial custody.

Edit to add: a big difference, though, is that in England, the law does not allow you to carry an kind of weapon in preparation against an attacker. So no carrying a gun, cosh, dagger, or whatever.

But if you're in the garden, it would be quite normal to be holding a shovel or a spade or a garden fork... Though I think a trident and a net might not be considered normal.

 

[Nomad64]

For obvious and understandable reasons OP made it clear in her first post that she does not want to resort to “physical” of resolving this distressing problem and has declined local offers of that kind of assistance.

The OP is dealing with what sounds like a deeply unpleasant, manipulative bully and although there has been some minor physical violence, threats and lies seem to be his MO for causing distress so escalating this thread on an open forum with discussion of guns, knives, rights to use force to defend yourself and property etc. is unhelpful and could potentially come back to bite the OP.

As several people have already posted, keeping records and gathering evidence is the best way of proving a pattern of abusive behaviour, putting things in writing and dealing with things methodically (very difficult in distressing situations) and following the procedures to escalate a complaint if the relevant agencies are not taking things seriously.

Some sensible guidance from Which? and CAB below.

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/what-can-i-do-about-nuisance-neighbours

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/problems-where-you-live/complaining-about-your-neighbour/

Heartfelt sympathy to Woodygirl - hope this distressing problem gets resolved or at least de-escalates to manageable levels.

 

[Sundowner]

Hi Woody girl, sorry to hear that you're suffering abuse by such a lunatic!! I read all of the above comments and understand that you don't want a "physical" solution to the problem. Seems to me that the gopro idea (with a remote control and external microphone) was the best idea in helping to get evidence. If it was me, I'd make sure (large framed) male friends are invited to keep you company which would also mean you've got witnesses. Ok, it'd cost you loads of cups of tea. Hang in there girl and stay strong!!

 

[MrEd]

I do not think she wrote that the madman is 'hating ' and doing that crap because she has a disability?

Doesn’t matter, it could be hate motivated.

Gather evidence and speak with CAB to start.

Don’t resort to violence, it doesn’t solve anything