Neighbour 'dispute'

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Discussion

Muzzer

Original Poster:

3,814 posts

236 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
Picture the scene

I live in a cul-de-sac of flats/maisonettes and was out the other night having a smoke in front of my house.

When I got outside, I heard an almighty argument between the neighbour and his Mrs in their (first floor) flat. The flat is all double-glazed but I could virtually hear it word-for-word.

He also doesn't have curtains, only a blind, and it wasn't fully shut so I could fairly clearly see them in the flat shouting at each other.

I should point out that I've spoken to the bloke a few times - he seems a really nice chap, friendly, always says hello when I see him, helped me jump start the car once, etc

What pricked my ears up first was the fact that they were shouting at each other so loudly. Like really screaming at each other. I've never heard this from their flat before.

What then made me pay attention more was when I heard him shout
"I'm gonna smash your fking face in!"

This concerned me a little, obviously. She was giving as good as she got in the shouting stakes but when one hears that you immediately pay more attention.

There then looked to be a bit of a mini-scuffle - I couldn't see exactly what.

What then really made me pay attention was him standing over what looked like his sofa, drawing his fist back above and behind his shoulder as if he was going to plant one on her.

I could quite clearly see him stop himself before he hit her and then he started hitting things around the house a bit before the argument died down.

I went back in my own flat then and went back out later to hear no more activity.

What would you have done?

I know that if I'd seen him hit her through the window I'd have done something - either knocking on his door or calling the Plod, not sure which.

I still couldn't help part of me thinking I should have done something at the time but then we've all had arguments with the OH and if I was shouting at the OH I wouldn't be in the mood for someone knocking on the door interfering. But then I have never, and would never, even think about hitting the OH. Under any circumstances.

Plus, you don't know what happens behind closed doors. She sounded like she was giving as good as she was getting and didn't sound the type to take a beating and let him get away with it but you just never know...

Discuss.

G_T

16,163 posts

205 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
If you don't know for absolute sure what happened you should leave it be.

Even if the police do get involved they won't do a damned thing unless she raises a complaint herself.


Coco H

4,237 posts

252 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
Leave well alone. Let's just say many years ago I intervened when a friend's oh had given her pasting. I wish I hadn't. It hurt

eccles

14,005 posts

237 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
Muzzer said:
Discuss.
Do we have to? confused

NDA

23,212 posts

240 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all

A really difficult one.

If you heard a woman being beaten in a neighbouring property - you'd simply want to (maybe even have to) intervene. But as to 'should you', that's very difficult. You're opening a huge can of worms.

Can you befriend the female neighbour when he's not around? Just see how she is?

Tough one and no easy answers. I'd be interested to hear the view of a PH lady...

shirt

24,384 posts

216 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
would have left it. if he'd hit her then it would be different, but everyone says/does things in an argument they don't mean or won't go through with it.

you are on the outside looking in, this may be a 'one off' and you'd look a berk calling the cops over a tiff. if they were behaving like this every day and/or you saw evidence he hit her then its different, but on the evidence presented i'd say just leave it.

Orb the Impaler

1,881 posts

205 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
The bloke didn't hit her despite being in a towering rage, so (in my zero experience) I suspect he never has or will. Do they argue a lot?

One thing I *do* know is that intervening in domestics - even where the woman *is* getting a beating - can often end up with the bloke turning on the would-be rescuer and giving them a good hiding while the woman eggs them on yikes

vxr8mate

1,683 posts

204 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
eccles said:
Muzzer said:
Discuss.
Do we have to? confused
biggrin

Sheets Tabuer

20,319 posts

230 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all


Leave them be, obviously if he is trying to kill her then don't.

G_T

16,163 posts

205 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
Sheets Tabuer said:


Leave them be, obviously if he is trying to kill her then don't.
LMFAO

That's so inappropriate... Am I a bad person for laughing out loud at my desk?

svm

293 posts

202 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
Muzzer said:
Discuss.
'Ark at you throwing your weight around telling us what to do. Are you sure this wasn't between you and your wife??

wink

Muzzer

Original Poster:

3,814 posts

236 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
eccles said:
Muzzer said:
Discuss.
Do we have to? confused
Of course not. The rest of the P&P is that way >

I'll do you an IOU for the click if it makes you feel better wink

Orb the Impaler said:
Do they argue a lot?
Not to my knowledge. But I've only recently starting smoking outside so it's only in the last week that I've had an opportunity to hear.

It certainly wasn't a 'tiff' This was a full blown, shouting in each other's face row.

I have only ever physically seen her once or twice before. I'm only 95% sure she even lives there full time. I'm out all day at work and then in the flat/out in the evening. I don't have a garden or anything so the only times I spend anytime outside is when I'm cleaning the car, leaving or arriving or (in the last week) sparking up.

I guess it's a hindsight thing - if you call the Law and they laugh them away you feel a berk. If you do nothing and she's getting seven shades beaten out of her you feel guilty. There's no real way of finding out.

I'm pretty comfortable with doing nothing at the minute, I was just curious as to what other PHers would have done..

Cara Van Man

29,977 posts

266 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
Muzzer said:
Discuss.
She's had her warning. Hopefully he won't have to tell her again. She'll know to have the dinner on the table on time in future.

wink

Don

28,378 posts

299 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
If they argue like that they'll break up soon enough if either one of them has any sense.

She clearly has a talent for pushing the guy's buttons to an unacceptable degree.

He clearly has trouble containing his destructive emotions properly. It is good that he succeeded in stopping himself from physically assaulting her, of course, but even to get as far as thinking about it doesn't bode well.

Of course - they may love one another deeply.

Luckily, until you see her exit the house with a shiner, it's their problem.

Wacky Racer

39,785 posts

262 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
You could have knocked on the door and said "Is this a good time for you to come and give me a jump start??"........hehe

s3fella

10,524 posts

202 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
Ringing the door bell would have been a good idea to just calm it down, it would have made them both cool down, even if they had not come to the door. Even if you rang it and ran off, it probably would have defused it!

mouk786

1,263 posts

212 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
s3fella said:
Ringing the door bell would have been a good idea to just calm it down, it would have made them both cool down, even if they had not come to the door. Even if you rang it and ran off, it probably would have defused it!
Yes.... or they both would have decked him!

Jasandjules

71,097 posts

244 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
No idea what I'd do. In some respect it's none of my business and if she was giving as good as she got then who knows.

spaximus

4,314 posts

268 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
I once stopped a guy who was kicking seven shades out of his wife/woman in Minehaed, I told him to stop and when he took a swing at me that was when I decked him. The woman jumped up covered in blood and started to attack me "I am alright he loves me" she screams, left them too it.

I would walk away from your case as nothing seemed to have happened except a guy was driven to the precipise and walked back.

touching cloth

11,706 posts

254 months

Friday 13th March 2009
quotequote all
Cara Van Man said:
Muzzer said:
Discuss.
She's had her warning. Hopefully he won't have to tell her again. She'll know to have the dinner on the table on time in future.

wink
hehe