Lots of people talking about motivations. She’s likely mentally ill, no more no less.
a massive assumption that just because someone behaves in an irrational manner they are mentally ill. Often people who find themselves involved in the criminal justice system do have mental health issues, but there’s a fair number who are just angry.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Motivation doesn’t matter here. What matters is repairs and prevention of reoccurrence.</span>
id say if you want to prevent reoccurrence, or indeed escalation, then understanding why would be a good first step. It might be that where the car is parked causes a problem and she gains some satisfaction with it, but it could be she has a problem with the people and if the car’s not there the front door is next, or of course she might be all over the neighbourhood as part of the geriatric branch of just stop oil, or she thinks these are non-resident cars that shouldn’t be there. Neighbours who behave quite oddly keep courts across the country busy - some are genuinely mentally ill (you’d hope that the “system” would intervene but it all too often misses the opportunity) but some are just nasty. Being an older woman definitely does not exclude you from the latter - indeed it might make it more likely you’ve never either been thumped or arrested for your behaviour in the past and learned from it.
You need to get this sorted because your postcode will be adversely affected when the various recipients of her attentions notify their insurance companies on claiming/renewal
Is her home LA-run and is there some mechanism to get accommodation more appropriate to their needs, whether that be access/mobility or mental health/ASB?
Awaits flaming 🙂
Re insurance, my policy (LV) says that for damage caused by vandalism you pay the excess but don’t lose your NCD. Other policies will be different, and the cost may not exceed the excess.
Was my experience also.
Went to a tri club social, all the cars belonging to all the attendees were keyed, and for some of us, a bonus ball -having all four tyres slashed.
Turned out one of the members (completely unrelated to us except by dint of belonging to the same tri club) had a stalker.
Police were involved so we had incident number and so forth.
timba - why do you think the accommodation is not appropriate? why do you think anyone else has the right to say what is appropriate? Just because you are old does not mean that others have the right to remove your rights. Just because you are a bit odd does not mean you are not competent to take decisions
English and scots law is a bit different but the key factor is " Is the person able to understand the consequences of their decisions" so in this case if you say to the woman " keying cars could end up with you being arrested" and her reply is " don't care if I go to jail, I hate seeing those cars there" this is a competent decision by her to key the cars! A decision or action can be irrational and competent at the same time!
Taking someones rights away is a huge thing to do and not done lightly
Not read the whole thread since last time I posted but have we got to "Nuke her from space" territory yet?
Had a big run in with them yesterday. We obviously don't park there anymore and now park the cars down a small side road which we can see from the front of our house. My son and his friend picked them up on the CCTV camera and sure enough they turned off down the side road. The boys, 19 years old and both over 6 foot, went flying out the door after them. Worried that they would get themselves in trouble I followed shortly after. What actually happened was the boys were standing there watching while the other pair , very drunk, shouted and swore at them accusing them of harassing them. She had keys in hand. I've had enough of this now and it quickly turned into a shouting match. I had to walk away as it crossed my mind (for a split second) to punch her lights out. The whole thing is starting to consume me.
Sorry if I missed this, but have you actually spoken to the police yet?
Because you clearly need to.
I had to walk away as it crossed my mind (for a split second) to punch her lights out
yeah…don’t do this
i remember some moron threw a bottle out their (closed) third floor flat window and it and all the window glass landed on my car below. Called the police and despite it being very obvious who had done it (the clue was their smashed window) there were no charge brought. And even if there had been, I was told at best I’d be getting a few quid a week for the rest of eternity..
YOU need to contact the police over the latest incident and keep on pressuring them. This will be low priority for them and unfortunately the squeaking gate gets the grease
timba – why do you think the accommodation is not appropriate
Because repeated incidents of a criminal/ASB nature are happening.
That's impacting other residents, who also have human rights. It isn't spite (thanks for that - not aimed at you tj), it's common sense. If she/they have needs then they must be met and they clearly aren't.
This is way beyond NIMBY-ism
The police are aware and we have a reference number for the case. I'm going to the station now to give them the names and address of offending couple.
Had you had any previous interaction with this person/these people before the incident in your OP? If you have moved your car down a side street and she/they then go looking for it, key in hand it does sound like a very personal grudge?
It all sounds pretty unpleasant and I hope the police take action.
Lots of angry spiteful vindictive people around, and most of them voted leave.
Grow up.
Blokeuptheroad, no there was no previous interaction with them at all before the keying incidents. After two face to face confrontations it's most definitely personal now.
👍 best of luck in getting it sorted.
When at the station, ask the police what you should do if you catch them going to do it again.
Sorry Timba - the home has no responsibility for her actions and under what sort of legislation do yo think anyone could enforce a move for her behaviour?
If she/they have needs then they must be met and they clearly aren’t.
Again - her behaviour outside the home does not show her needs are not being met in any way. Indeed stopping her going outside would be clearly illegal ( under Scots law anyway) as would forcing her to move accommodation.
Even the mental health acts would be very hard to use in this situation
Not the home and not MH legislation, the local authority (LA)... Englandshire advice
Timba - useful info there for the OP. Be a long and complex road to go down to have her evicted even if possible at all. Its a really complex and difficult area. I guess my point was around the " her needs not being met" which is an entirely different thing to action for antisocial behaviour
Jesus @ latest incident.
Lots of angry spiteful vindictive people around, and most of them voted leave.
I bet you're a real blast at parties.
Were you at a wedding near Newport this past week? There was a real bore talking politics there too.
What actually happened was the boys were standing there watching while the other pair , very drunk, shouted and swore at them accusing them of harassing them. She had keys in hand
Jesus wept. What a pair of c*ckwombles.
Does your CCTV record sound as well as video? Audio might help with a 'malicious intent' angle if you needed it.
I can only suggest dashcamming your motor up to the nines because you're likely to need that footage, if nothing else it will go toward keeping insurance happy when you claim.
Any mileage in talking to the pub?
Guide to dealing with drunkenness in licensed premises
It sounds a nightmare, I hope you get it sorted.
a massive assumption that just because someone behaves in an irrational manner they are mentally ill.
True. But this is the Internet, massive assumptions are part of the discourse when all you have to go on is what is disclosed in a forum post.
Keying a car could be for any number of reasons. But keying all the cars regularly, there's something awry upstairs.
She had keys in hand.
Just holding them normally, or like clenched fist with keys sticking out between fingers?
Not all pensioners are doddery frail old fools, I've known some tasty ones. Few people in Burnley won't know of Jimmy Satan. Nice guy, I've had a pint with him, but you don't get a name like that without earning it. He frequented a biker bar full of metalheads and they were all frightened to death of him.
Asked the wife about this (she works in a residential home for acute mental illness - schizophrenia, voice controlled disorders etc). They fairly regularly deal with neighbours who have suffered property damage at the hands of residents (some are on semi free to roam/supported living arrangements) and what they do is reimburse victim losses then add the bill to the client account. This protects both local relationships with the community but also insulates the residents from legal action, as theoretically, you could now pass on the old woman's details to your insurers and they could pursue her for reimbursement plus costs.
So while the home may not (as TJ says) have a legal responsibility, it may be you can apply pressure on them to cover your losses and recoup, rather than have someone in their care face the stress of being pursued by an insurance company with a load of extra costs added on for legal process etc.
Even if you aren't pursuing the home for anything, it's likely sensible to make them aware it's happening. At the very least, I can't see immediately any downsides to doing so.
I have no idea what the home may or may not be able to do, but it's certainly "nothing" if they're oblivious to what's going on.
Sheltered housing isn't necessarily a care-home; it could literally be a series of warden overseen bunglaows for independent living. If this is the case - and as I mentioned earlier in the thread - then the landlord (council or charity, for example) may already have had issues with these tenants. They can absolutely be evicted, and no doubt anti-social behaviour would be a strong enough reason. They have a duty of care to their residents, but also to the local community.
The sheltered housing is four small blocks of flats for independent living. Mostly old folk, some people with physical disabilities and a family from Hong Kong that I think are refugees. It's a good little set up, nicely kept, lawned gardens for the residents etc. and generally everyone gets on fine. For years I would have said it's good example of how to make social housing work.
In which case it sounds like the sort of place which would want to know.
Plus they might seek to relocate problem residents to somewhere more appropriate.
I am absolutely gobsmacked by that response from andyrm. Not that I doubt its happening but IMO its such a flagrant breech of the ethical standards I would be working to and indeed would be legally obliged to work to. So easily open to abuses. I can only assume its a private company sub contracting to the state and that is built into the contracts signed and also folk there are perhaps detained under the mental health acts.
Couple of decades ago, there was a big upsurge in mirror damage, cars getting 'knocked' by rubbish bins - wiper damage - next to a hospice in Edinburgh. Was months before culprit was identified - a slightly demented elderly woman who took offence to folk parking outside 'her' house.
Fast forward a decade - she dies, house is bought by hospice for admin. block.
Karma!
