Really sorry to vent about this, but don't have anyone to talk to and this is all getting to me a bit.
Our neighbour was convicted last year of touching two teenage girls inappropriately during an outdoor activity weekend. The actual event took place about four years ago and last year he was sentenced to community service and put on the sex offender register for a year. I've known the man for about 14yrs and he's spoken to me openly about his conviction. I believe him when he says he's been the victim of two malicious teenagers who were trying to get at his youngest daughter via him. Furthermore, I've spoken to his daughter (now at Uni), who says she was bullied mercilessly through high school by these two same teenagers and she backs up her father's story. She was even present when one of the alleged incidents took place. Nevertheless, the local Sheriff court found my neighbour guilty.
That's the background, now to the events of the last two days.
Apparently things kicked off a couple of days ago with a family (mum, dad, baby in buggy and four year old) parading up and down the street in front of our building (we're in a semi adjoining the neighbour), yelling at the top of their voices that a 'Paedo' lived here. My wife says that the father was even encouraging his four year old to join in. Last night I got home from work (a two hour commute away), to find my wife in the back of the house because there was a crowd of about 20 people, adults and teenagers, standing out front, at the edge of the trees directly across from us, just staring at our home. She'd even locked the cat flap so our pets couldn't get out, she was that worried about the flat faced, tattooed zombies standing in front our our home. There were two police officers at our neighbours front gate and police cars cruising around an estate that normally doesn't see a police car from one year to the next. Eventually the crowd swelled to maybe 30-40 people, then I think the police moved them on, possibly because we'd driven to the supermarket and on returning my wife hit the car horn and wasn't too careful as she swung through the crowd blocking the road and into our driveway. Of course, that wasn't the end of it. There was a constant stream of cars driving up to our house with people hanging out the windows pointing at our building and then when it got later, the missiles started getting hurled from within the trees across the road from us. I nearly shat myself when something hit the iron guttering above our front window, my wife thinks it was a golf ball. After that, I went out and flagged down one of the police vans and told them what had happened and that we were feeling harassed and intimidated in our own home. The police officer I spoke to said that the folk were all "Unemployed arseholes with nothing better to do but spread rumours on facebook", and that they'd get bored in a day or two and move on. Apparently there has been a rash of these intimidation tactics in our area recently. One of which led to an 85yr old lady having 'Beast' sprayed on her front door because the attackers had gotten the wrong address. He also warned me that the same folk had said they were coming back today. Now, as far as I'm concerned, the police have done a good job of controlling things, but they obviously can't do anything unless they catch someone in the act. I didn't want to go to work this morning, but my wife insisted because I think she's worried that I'll lose my rag and do something stupid. Which seems to be precisely what the crowd of braying monkeys outside our house want, even though it's not directed at us. I spoke to another neighbour last night who lives a few doors up from us and witnessed the things being thrown at our house. He was raging and his wife and daughter are terrified that he's going to deck someone and end up being arrested.
This is so shit, my wife's at home alone, supposedly enjoying the school holidays but in reality stuck in the house with the phone besides her ready to call the police and I'm at work...doing nothing.. because all I can think about is going home and taking a swing at some drooling, uneducated arsehole, from god knows where because none of them are local, that's standing outside our home leering in the windows. All I can think to do is speak to the police tonight (if the same thing occurs), and tell them I'm feeling threatened and harassed and want to report it. Would the police be forced to act and move the crowd on then?
I'm actually feeling a bit sick, I'm so angry and frustrated and worried. It's so shit and unfair.
What a horrible situation not of your making.
Surely if possible the right thing to do is take a few days off work and get away for a while until they move on. Nothing to be gained by continuing to witness it. If your neighbour really is innocent that sounds like a terrible position to be in too. A proper life ruining position.
That seems a pretty crap situation but from your account the police are dealing with it well and, as they say, hopefully the mob will soon bore of it and move on.
Could you speak to your employers and ask for a last minute bit of leave and just go away for the weekend whilst things calm down?
^Jinx 🙂
Holy shit, that's awful. I take it this crowd of morons knows it's not you?
How loud is your stereo?
I'm guessing they don't like Puccini
You need to infiltrate the crowd. Join them, find the ringleaders, tell them about another kiddy fiddler in the next town, get them to move there.
I take it this crowd of morons knows it’s not you?
This I suspect might be the real issue, if the OP kicks off or shouts at them or whatever, to your average shit kicker they're not going to think "I bet we've made this Guy's life hell because of his neighbour" they going to just assume you're a Nonse, because if anyone, ever, says perhaps she shouldn't string someone up from the nearest lamppost at the mere accusation of it, you should immediately have your hard drive searched, whilst they find another lamppost, well, if they even bother to check the address.
What is sad about this is that you need to justify the guys guilt or innocence. That really is nobodys buisnesss but the courts, the victim and the accused. The law has dealt with him, that is what it is for, we cannot have mob justice. The mob seem to think that they are providing a service in terms of extra punishment other than the sentence laid down. These arseholes are basically taking the law into their own hands.
Our society needs help.
Yes - I would be taking the family away for a week for an impromptu holiday. The situation sucks - but discretion is the better part of valour. By removing yourself from the situation, you make things no worse for your neighbour. Mebbe just check the house insurance is fully paid-up before you leave.
I guess the trouble with going away is that you feel you aren't protecting your own home and leaving it open to potential damage. I don't think I could relax going away knowing that people are pelting things at your house.
Horrible situation to be in 🙁
Set up your phone in the window & record them?
Get CFH round with his air gun
If this was India and they were using WhatsApp then there would have been some deaths by now...
Bombers, obvs....
Blimey, this is awful. I don't know what else to say other than that I hope your wife and family are okay and that the Police are monitoring the situation, I genuinely feel for you.
That is properly rubbish, i really do feel for you and your family.
You cant rationalise their behavior or reason with them because (frankly) the coppers explanation is spot on.
Can the police offer any help with crime prevention type stuff, CCTV, panic alarms or anything else?
A general theme with neighbor issues seems to be to move. Seems drastic and probably not an option but it does seem like your estate is not a great place to be.
Get drinking.
Sounds like you’ve a lot of shoes that need weeing in
Time for the minigun I'm afraid
Whats your water pressure like? Hose the ****ers!!
Seriously though, get your self home. I wouldn't be at work if that was happening to me/my wife/my house.
I really feel for the OP and his neighbour. Basically this whole incident is rooted in lies and rumours. I'm intrigued to know why it has suddenly flared up again, given he was convicted last year?
OP please don't confront the mob of cretins, you won't be able to reason with them and you'll just end up getting a kicking. Let the police deal with them.
Much as escaping seems tempting, I'd be wary of going away leaving the house empty, morons like that will happily trash your home to get at him if they know you're not going to be there. How about you stay there and the rest of your family go away for the weekend to stay with family?
Just had a message from my wife saying that things are quiet at the moment, and a police car has been round this morning to check on things. We've lived here for over 20 yrs and it's a lovely area with really great neighbours who look out for each other. No-one I spoke to recognised any of the people who were out in front of the house last night.
I'm taking the wife out for a meal tonight and we're actually going on holiday at the weekend so hopefully it'll all be over when we return, but it still doesn't take away from the horrible feeling of helplessness at the hands of a braying mob. Our neighbour, who took his punishment and thought he could move on is now being held captive in his house with his wife and youngest daughter. All of us are at the mercy of this lynch mob of barely sentient oxygen thieves who think they are doing a public service by intimidating everyone in the street.
I've spoken to my boss and she's agreeing with my wife that maybe I shouldn't go home early and confront them, arms windmilling. My last fight was in 1984 with Colin Smith in 2nd year of high school when he tried to bully me. I think it ended with me sitting on him and screeching in a half broken voice to leave me the **** alone. I'm not a fighter, I abhor confrontation, but I hate bullies and I detest this feeling of being utterly powerless to stop anything.
All of us are at the mercy of this lynch mob of barely sentient oxygen thieves who think they are doing a public service
You're wrong here mate. There's no [i]thinking[/i] involved.
No point fighting them - for one thing, the cops will probably arrest you. Scum like them always get away with whatever they like (the self appointed vigilantes, not the cops!).
Ring the police, tell them you saw a gun and a few knives, hopefully some of them will receive a couple of bullets to the chest when the firearms plod come storming out of their vans.
Anyway, Brexit Britain for you - the plebs know better than the elites (anyone who is vaguely educated) - lynchings will go hand in hand with that attitude.
Send your daughter out to walk through the crowd, brushing past one of the ringleaders, and then have her loudly complain that he touched her innappropriately, and threaten to ring the police.
She if she can get the rest of the crowd to turn on him.
Make sure your wife videos it 🙂
TurnerGuy gives excellent advice! 😆
that really is an awful situation to be in... I hope for you guys that they get bored and don't return tonight.
I'm impressed you've kept your cool.
+1 for bombers
lure them away with cans of stella and benson n' hedges, make a trail down to the canal a la pied piper.
I would definitely get a camera filming in case something kicks off, I'd also take photos of the crowd and post them on Facebook. Def avoid a confrontation, half of them are probably cage fighters/kick boxers anyhow. Maybe buy some stink bombs or Novichok
I would get back in touch with the police if it continues to be an issue.
Sounds to me like a genuine case of breach of the peace - the mob are causing you and other residents fear and alarm, and not unreasonably so.
Unfortunately the sort of people you're dealing with won't be bothered by a conviction (edit - if it's in Scotland), but it's all you can do really.
Another message from my wife to say that the family returned to their house briefly this morning and packed their bags. They're staying somewhere else because someone has threatened to torch the house with all of them in it.
Apparently someone has just been to fit a 'firebox' to their letter box.
Just now, got another message, the woman who was threatening to firebomb our building has been arrested by the police.
So that's someone been arrested....all because of an internet based rumour mill. I wonder if this woman who was threatening to burn our neighbour's house down spared one moment of thought that their might be other people next door, happily getting along with their life?
This is seriously doing my head in.
Is this in Denny by any chance? Various people I know in that area seem to be posting on facebook threads for something very similar to this.
****ing idiots. There was a story a few years back about a doctor who was chased out of her home because these dimwits didn't know the difference between a paedophile and a paediatrician.
In the hospital where I work we're not allowed to use "the p word" to describe the "childrens's ward" because some half-wit might kick off
Other side of the river from Denny, but yes Steve, I expect it's the same story. Are any of your facebook ' have-a-go-hero friends threatening to burn our building down while we sleep? Would you mind passing their names onto me or the Police?
beagy - we both have a pal who can advise you here...
There was a story a few years back about a doctor who was chased out of her home because these dimwits didn’t know the difference between a paedophile and a paediatrician.
Paulsgrove, Hants. Definitely not [i]a lovely area[/i]
What a shitty situation for you and your neighbour. Wish I could offer some positive advice to you. Good on you for keeping your cool is all I can say. I’d have got myself arrested / beaten to death by now. Hope the pricks move on soon.
Other side of the river from Denny, but yes Steve, I expect it’s the same story. Are any of your facebook ‘ have-a-go-hero friends threatening to burn our building down while we sleep? Would you mind passing their names onto me or the Police?
I'll need to find the facebook posts but I don't think the posts were from anyone I know - possibly the posts might have been in a Denny High school related group I'm a member of. Certainly the standard of the spelling would indicate it probably wasn't people I know...
I don't recall seeing anyone threatening to burn the place down but did see posts about folks getting in front of the house to make some kind of protest yesterday evening.
here was a story a few years back about a doctor who was chased out of her home because these dimwits didn’t know the difference between a paedophile and a paediatrician.
yes, but
http://www.****/news/article-4331478/Paedophile-children-s-doctor-jailed-three-years.html
Just had a check on Facebook and looks like the posts were from a group I'm not a member of, but shared by a couple of folks that I know (although doesn't look like they were themselves posting).
Epicsteve - I think I know the one you're talking about, I know a few people from Denny and they're sharing some "beast" as they've described him, posting addresses and whereabouts, originally from Bo'ness it seems
From the posts on the Denny forum I saw it looks like there are a couple of guys they are ranting about.
The paediatrician was in South Wales. It was graffiti in her case.
Paulsgrove had a longer-running issue
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2001/feb/06/childprotection
The reason the OP's neighbour has come to the attention of the none-too-bright moralists is imho the hot weather. Bit of rain and that'll be the end of that. It is very sad, and no doubt very scary if you are involved.
Got home from work last night and we just jumped in the car and went for a picnic...well...fish and chips in the park. We figured the best way to avoid a repeat of the previous night's hostility was just to not be there. Eventually returned home around 9pm and were confronted with about 30 folk holding placards and banners across from our house and about 6 police officers standing outside next door. We couldn't even get in our driveway at first because all the ''local' protesters had driven here and blocked us out.
I spoke to a police officer.... carefully, as I'd had a bottle of merlot in the park with me haggis supper, and he at least reassured me that as long as these people keep turning up, so will they. He also nodded at a woman he was planning on arresting and punting into the back of his van, so the protesters can't be that peaceful. These ''vigilantes' had already been hurling abuse at another neighbour's teenage daughters who had defended my neighbour's daughter.
I guess all we can do is trust in the police and wait till these pond scum find another street to torture.
Start yelling out random maths and grammar questions. This will cause mass panic and possibly brain death for most of the ****wits.
That is such a horrendous situation mate. I really feel for you. Hope it gets resolved ASAP.
There really is some utter pond life in the world.
Sounds awful. It would make my blood boil and I would probably now be sat in a police cell awaiting trial for mass murder with a chainsaw. Don't do that.
@Beagleboy, I may be barking up the wrong tree here, but is your first name Alan perchance?
bottle of merlot in the park with me haggis supper
You find yourself in a shitty situation but I seriously admire your culinary response.
Keep barking!
My first name is Beagle...no..no..wait a minute. I definitely remember that my mum used to call me Craig.
Hmmmm, I wonder what % of that crowd voted Leave, assuming they knew there was a referendum on. 🙂
Incredible situation. Hope it resolved itself and the police are there for your family when needed.
Thinking of a close family member living next to someone who was convicted of having illegal images on their computer.
It sounds to me as if the whole crowd should arrested for breach of the peace - the definition in Scots law being "conduct severe enough to cause alarm to ordinary people and threaten serious disturbance to the community"
But mass arrests would probably only escalate matters. Police are probably waiting for it to fizzle out rather than poking the fire. Not pleasant for those that live there, but quite possibly the most peaceful approach when dealing with such eijits.
Stink bombs on the pavement just to make it a bit more unpleasant for the prats?
An awful situation but maybe if you got some flyers from the Jobcentre to hand out to them, some might disperse.
Why they haven’t been told to move on or arrested for breach of the peace is odd. The law is quite clear as noted above.
Any more news? Have the angry mob got bored yet?
Is there a chemical with a smell that can be used that makes it physically uncomfortable to be around but not harmful to health. I always think that would be a lot easier way of dispersing a crowd than physical means. If I was living on that street I would happily put up with a pungent niff for a week to get rid of them.
Alternatively you could do some kind of dirty protest and go out trying to give them all a cuddle.
"Anyway, Brexit Britain for you"
Yes cos that wouldn't have happened in pre-brexit britain would it...
Is there a chemical with a smell that can be used that makes it physically uncomfortable to be around but not harmful to health.
Yes, but my son has an exclusive license to it. He says it's caused by the school veggie sausages...
Yes cos that wouldn’t have happened in pre-brexit britain would it…
Perhaps in a pre-fake-news Britain, but we definitely have a "believe what you are told" culture where people lap up this shit and take it at face value without, as OP has clearly done, spending time to find out what the reality of a given situation is. Let's be honest, it was this that was at the root of the Brexit chaos we find ourselves in today, with the uneducated masses hoovering up propaganda pedalled to them by the media, following an agenda of their own.
Not the same area but strangely familiar - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-44629795
.. some people..
A local mum said: "I am in total shock. I have stayed here for three years.
"I also think if the police have had got that man out four hours beforehand when there were less people, last night could have been prevented.
"Bottles might not have been thrown and the car set alight."
"Let’s be honest, it was this that was at the root of the Brexit chaos we find ourselves in today, with the uneducated masses hoovering up propaganda pedalled to them by the media, following an agenda of their own."
Sounds like you're the one who's been hoovering up the media-peddled propaganda.
“I also think if the police have had got that man out four hours beforehand when there were less people, last night could have been prevented.
“Bottles might not have been thrown and the car set alight.”
wait, what? "You've got 4 hours, and if cars catch fire, well, they catch fire"
Sounds like you’re the one who’s been hoovering up the media-peddled propaganda.
Wait..what?
Hope it's settled down now Beagie, sounds a horrible situation for all involved tbh...
Cheers all!
Wife and I are just back from a delightful two weeks in Arillas, Corfu.
Our last action before leaving home at 3am to catch our holiday flight a fortnight ago, was to call the police and report that our neighbour's front bay window had just been smashed in. The boom when the window went scared the beejesus out of us!
We got back yesterday afternoon and the window is still boarded up, the family next door are still living in hiding somewhere (although we are still in contact with them), and the police are still doing the occasional drive-by to show a presence.
No-one is setting up camp outside the building anymore, but I swear (I may be paranoid though), that there are still loads more cars going past and people taking more interest than usual in our quiet wee bit of street.
It's the threats to burn the family in their home that scares me. The police took this seriously enough that they arrested one of the people making the threats and installed a firebox under next door's letterbox. It frightens me that these people don't seem to understand the possible consequences of their actions. It also frightens me that guilty or not, they think it acceptable to terrify and threaten the entire family, and their neighbours. It was made clear from the start that because we and our surrounding neighbours weren't supporting the so called protesters, we were obviously guilty as well.
The next door family are getting their window repaired today or tomorrow, and are getting quotes for a big fence to go around the front of the house to hopefully deter any more attacks. I'm feeling really bad right now because part of me would just like to see a big 'For Sale' sign go up in their garden. It's really terrible, because they are a lovely, caring family and really great neighbours but I can't see any end to this crap and fully expect it to all go crazy again as soon as the family make any attempt to move back into their own home.