If you ever have problems with your neighbor, just think of Paul Hayward. Hayward, 49, harassed his neighbors for ten years by making 150 silent telephone calls, ordering hundreds of unwanted taxis, and even ordering two tons of coal to the homes of his victims. He was ultimately sentenced to 14 months in jail after breaching an “anti-social behaviour order” on 19 occasions.

An older couple Patricia Jones and Jim and Jill Thomas was required to live in this constant harassment as the legal system struggled to force Hayward to stop in South Wales. I am not sure why it took so long. The first breach of the order would have been enough to be held in contempt in the United States.

Ironically, the Jones’ looked after Hayward’s two children when he moved in ten years ago. Then it began from Chinese delivery to taxis that they never ordered. They said that he even tormented their 43-year-old daughter Rachel who suffers from cerebral palsy by blocking her with his car and wheelie bin to block her access. They claim that he threw mud, eggs, stones and food at their property. He was found to have made over 100 calls to the couple in one day.

His lawyers arguments on mitigation was intriguing: he was not trying to cause fear, just stress. While I understand that threats are punished more severely, this pattern would seem to be more than just stress. If if it were just intended to cause misery, I do not understand why he could get away with it so long.

Source: Daily Mail