A 25-year-old Shropshire man who subjected his neighbours to a two-year campaign of terror has been handed a restraining order.

Duncan Johnston, of Latchford Lane, Harlescott, Shrewsbury, harassed his next door neighbours by threatening to burn down their house and donning a Freddie Kruger mask and waving at them at night, Market Drayton Magistrates Court heard. He had admitted the charge.

Johnston also barked like a dog for up to three hours, poured paintstripper on a car belonging to his neighbours’ friend and banged on the wall for hours at a time after boozed-up nights out.

Johnston also threatened other neighbours using social networking site Facebook, sending one a message to say: “I haven’t even started yet”.

He admitted a charge of causing Emma Syer, her husband and their six-year-old son, harassment without violence between December 2006 and December 2008 at an earlier hearing.

Mrs Kate Price, prosecuting, said yesterday: “When the family first moved in they had a good relationship with the defendant and he even visited at Christmas to give their son a chocolate selection box.

“But on New Year’s Eve 2006 Emma Syer received three or four texts from the defendant asking if she had seen his cat in her garden.

“The next morning they found the cat dead lying next to the boundary fence.”

She added that the harassment of the family escalated after the discovery as Johnston hurled glass bottles into their garden and played loud music from his doorstep in the early hours.

Mr Andrew Holland, for Johnston, said his client had admitted the charge on the basis he never caused all the late night noises himself and did not harass his neighbours because his cat died.

He added: “He concedes he has acted in an anti-social manner to his neighbours over a period of time when he was taking a large amount of drink and drugs.”

Johnston was given six weeks in prison suspended for 18 months plus an 18 month supervision requirement.

He must also undertake alcohol counselling and do 80 hours unpaid work in the community.

He was also ordered to pay £60 costs.

By Tom Johannsen