Physically assaulted by neighbour last night, advice please

Physically assaulted by neighbour last night, advice please

Author
Discussion

markbigears

Original Poster:

2,270 posts

268 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Morning all.
Last night I had an incident involving our next door neighbour which thankfully due to my quick reactions prevented me spending the night / week in a hospital bed.
If you need more details I'm happy to expand on the 6 years of minor conflict, but last night it finally ended in me reporting them to the police for assault.

The details are that after confronting his wife with a very brief conversation, the husband, who had been drinking and smoking weed all afternoon, grabbed me by the throat, at which point I pushed his arm away and as he stumbled he picked up a wrought iron garden ornament, bar type thing, i.e. Heavy metal and proceeded to take a swing at my head. Luckily for me he's not of a slight build, so I managed to duck the item and left the garden asap, in a slight state of shock as to what had just happened.
Immediately called the police and a high incident response unit were called. 4 hours later, 2 extremely nice young officers arrived, apologised for the late call, it was now about midnight. An hour later after explaining the history between us and giving a statement, they asked me what I wanted to do.

They explained I had 3 options:
1) Press charges and have him arrested for assault.
2) Go around and caution him.
3) Mediation with Police chairing the meeting.

I gave it some thought and went with option one.

They explained that as there were no witnesses / cctv it will be their word against mine and the case will probably go no further.
But he will be taken to the local police cell for a few hours and questioned.
There is no guarantee, but by my logic, he might think twice next time. They also said to take out an injunction with power of arrest.
It was 1.30am when they went around to arrest him. Unfortunately, they were “asleep” and didn’t answer the door.
Had a text from the officers to say they will try again today at 9pm when they are both back on duty.

I’m hoping that anyone with experience can give me any advice on what I should do now as I’ve never been in this situation before
And would really like to see some action taken against this thug.
Many thanks for taking the time to read my post.
Regards, Mark

fatjon

2,144 posts

212 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Asleep! They kicked my door in for an unpaid bloody speeding ticket!

Anyway, that was an aside! Get a camera up. Nothing will happen otherwise, as mentioned above they have a strange set of priorities and even with footage and a signed confession there is no guarantee of action. He will deny it, his wife will corroborate his version and then they will concoct a story that you were the aggressor.


Retroman

961 posts

132 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
From my experience, your neighbour won't change.

I behave myself but stay in a really rough area with lots of unpleasant people and some of them have been arrested probably 100+ times and had a few dozen court appearances. (smack heads, drug dealers, murderers etc)

If anything, after they done some time and know how easy it is, they say themself it's not a deterrent.
The one thing i do no for certain though is they don't like people going to the police and when ever anyone hear tried that, they got called a grass and windows put in etc

Durzel

12,232 posts

167 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Retroman said:
From my experience, your neighbour won't change.
+1

These people don't change. One telling off isn't going to magically alter however many years they've lived exhibiting this kind of errant anti-social behaviour.

okgo

37,860 posts

197 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
"where's your tool"

Andyhb

63 posts

131 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
markbigears said:
Morning all.
Last night I had an incident involving our next door neighbour which thankfully due to my quick reactions prevented me spending the night / week in a hospital bed.
If you need more details I'm happy to expand on the 6 years of minor conflict, but last night it finally ended in me reporting them to the police for assault.

The details are that after confronting his wife with a very brief conversation, the husband, who had been drinking and smoking weed all afternoon, grabbed me by the throat, at which point I pushed his arm away and as he stumbled he picked up a wrought iron garden ornament, bar type thing, i.e. Heavy metal and proceeded to take a swing at my head. Luckily for me he's not of a slight build, so I managed to duck the item and left the garden asap, in a slight state of shock as to what had just happened.
Immediately called the police and a high incident response unit were called. 4 hours later, 2 extremely nice young officers arrived, apologised for the late call, it was now about midnight. An hour later after explaining the history between us and giving a statement, they asked me what I wanted to do.

They explained I had 3 options:
1) Press charges and have him arrested for assault.
2) Go around and caution him.
3) Mediation with Police chairing the meeting.

I gave it some thought and went with option one.

They explained that as there were no witnesses / cctv it will be their word against mine and the case will probably go no further.
But he will be taken to the local police cell for a few hours and questioned.
There is no guarantee, but by my logic, he might think twice next time. They also said to take out an injunction with power of arrest.
It was 1.30am when they went around to arrest him. Unfortunately, they were “asleep” and didn’t answer the door.
Had a text from the officers to say they will try again today at 9pm when they are both back on duty.

I’m hoping that anyone with experience can give me any advice on what I should do now as I’ve never been in this situation before
And would really like to see some action taken against this thug.
Many thanks for taking the time to read my post.
Regards, Mark
Why did you confront his wife and what good did you think would come of it.
Standby for counter allegation

cadmunkey

447 posts

88 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Time to move if you can? Once things have broken down with neighbours that badly its just not worth the stress bud.
Option 3 may have been better.

markbigears

Original Poster:

2,270 posts

268 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
thanks all, I know what you are saying. The only surprise I had was when i asked the police if they had called to report me, but they hadn't.
I'm under no illusion what they are going to say to the police.
They will probably say they were out at the time. He has no previous, I asked.
When I say neighbours, they are at the bottom of our garden and we can't see each other as we have 20ft trees.
They are tenants too. He won't confront me at all, the only reason he went for me was because i was on his (rented) turf.
I won't be moving and am not at all stressed about the situation.

dingg

3,974 posts

218 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
from my experience

nothing will come of it - the police have not even interviewed your neighbour yet

you admit to entering his property to confront his wife what do you think they will say happened?

again from my own experience , you will be seen as the aggressor by entering his property

good luck you'll need it

joshcowin

6,775 posts

175 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
markbigears said:
thanks all, I know what you are saying. The only surprise I had was when i asked the police if they had called to report me, but they hadn't.
I'm under no illusion what they are going to say to the police.
They will probably say they were out at the time. He has no previous, I asked.
When I say neighbours, they are at the bottom of our garden and we can't see each other as we have 20ft trees.
They are tenants too. He won't confront me at all, the only reason he went for me was because i was on his (rented) turf.
I won't be moving and am not at all stressed about the situation.
Why were you on his grass?

Have you made the landlord aware?

Bigends

5,412 posts

127 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Got your crime number yet?

alfie2244

11,292 posts

187 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
"confronting his wife " sounds rather confrontational to me.

OP would it have escalated as it did had you been having a quiet chat?

markbigears

Original Poster:

2,270 posts

268 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Yes, have a crime number, yes, contacted landlord. the reason i went around their garden, was because a dead mouse was thrown over the fence landing a foot from my head. I went around to return it.

alfie2244

11,292 posts

187 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
markbigears said:
Yes, have a crime number, yes, contacted landlord. the reason i went around their garden, was because a dead mouse was thrown over the fence landing a foot from my head. I went around to return it.
Forget the quiet chat......how about having a little jovial banter with the neighbour........Blimey I've heard of raining cats and dogs but not mice.........that sort of banter biggrin

Helicopter123

8,831 posts

155 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
I would move, these things have a habit of escalating and I doubt its ever worth the hassle.

Its already been rumbling on for a while.

Foliage

3,861 posts

121 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Find out who he's renting from, have a word about the weed smoking, they wont be a tenant for much longer.

PurpleTurtle

6,941 posts

143 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
OP, having had 2 years of hell with an arrogant bh who lived in the rented place next-door to us, be prepared for escalation.

fknuts like this don't respect the law and see a visit from the BiB as an occupational hazard of their general fking haphazard approach to life.

My problem neighbour wasn't even paying the rent - she was the spoilt little rich girl daughter of a nice wealthy retired engineer, who was only paying the bills on the place so his grandkids could grow up somewhere nice. He even told me, "PurpleTurtle, I sympathise terribly, she's been a moron all her life, last place I had her in somebody put her window through". Still didn't move her on, still her bad behaviour escalated.

We only got rid of her because she gave too much verbals and made a number of serious false allegations against the PH'er who lives the other side of us, who happens to be a copper. He took an obvious personal interest in getting her nicked, and one swift court appearance later the old boy realised it would be better all round if he made his problem child somebody else's problem.

Had I not had the law living next to me, this would have been a very different ending. Tread very carefully - fkers like this do not think like you do.

xjay1337

15,966 posts

117 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Foliage said:
Find out who he's renting from, have a word about the weed smoking, they wont be a tenant for much longer.
Just be careful, it would be pretty obvious who snitched. Cars / windows could be damaged.

Carrot

7,294 posts

201 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
PurpleTurtle said:
. Tread very carefully - fkers like this do not think like you do.
I have nothing much to add but to echo this strongly. Having chavs living next to me (the more harmless variety luckily, just irritating and noisy), you sometimes overhear their very loud conversations early in the morning. Inbetween the swearing and incomprehensible stuff, you can gather that they would think nothing of physically assaulting someone just because "they are being dissed, init".

Apparently I was being unreasonable for having a go at one for playing seriously loud music at 3am... rolleyes

Their version of escalating it will not be your version, believe that.

Different subspecies.

markbigears

Original Poster:

2,270 posts

268 months

Monday 22nd May 2017
quotequote all
Landlord is aware of the cannabis, he turns a blind eye as the benefits cheat, sorry chronic back pain sufferer, is at home all day to paint his property etc. PT.... thanks for the reply, appreciated. although I would be surprised if he had ever done a days thinking in his life.
I've been treading carefully for 6 years, the gloves are now well and truly off.




Edited by markbigears on Monday 22 May 17:05