Seven years of hell ends with jail term for neighbour
A 55-year-old man from Shropshire who spent seven years harassing his neighbours by banging on the walls, swearing and playing loud music has been jailed.
Alan Marsh, who used to live in Old Street in Ludlow, started harassing his neighbours Paul and Angela Robson on the night they moved into their property by banging on walls, a court has heard.
Marsh's continued harassment caused Mrs Robson to suffer depression and leave her job, Telford Magistrates Court was told yesterday.
The situation came to a head when police were called to Mr and Mrs Robson's home in June this year following another disturbance, when Marsh was arrested.
Marsh, now of New Street in Ludlow, had denied harassment and breach of a restraining order when he appeared in court yesterday.
But magistrates found him guilty and handed him a six-month jail sentence.
Mr Robson told the court he and his wife had felt 'absolutely helpless' at the hands of Marsh.
He said they were in bed just after midnight on June 21 when they heard 'four to six bangs on the wall' followed by verbal abuse and loud music from Marsh's adjoining bedroom. Mr Robson said he called the police, who called through the open window to Marsh who refused to open the door.
They broke the door down and arrested Marsh. The court heard Marsh had been found guilty of harassing the couple in 2010 and was given a restraining order.
He was found to have breached the order on December 6 last year and was again found guilty, but received a conditional discharge. But after being found guilty of harassment and breach of a restraining order, he was sentenced to two three-month jail terms.
Sentencing, magistrates said: "This behaviour has stretched back over seven years – it caused depression in Mrs Robson and she had to give up her job."
