I've just been threatened

[Mitmoo]

I've had the garden turned into a camp site and three children sleeping in tents aged 14. They were fast asleep by midnight. I've just had an elderly neighbour knock the door, I've left the outside security light on so they have light, it is mainly on my back garden but lights up around a little bit not
much. The children felt safer

He has told me to turn off the security light as it is keeping him up. I said don't be ridiculous it is 1 o clock in the morning and close your curtains.

He says it is a hot night and he shouldn't have to close his windows. I say leave your windows open use your curtains to block the light.

He says, if you don't turn off the lights I'll be back at 3 am and you wont like what I'll do, there are consequences and you wont like them"

I feel like that is a threat, one of the children heard it and was scared, I've woken all three children, got them inside and left the light on.

AIBU for thinking this w shouldn't be allowed to make veiled threats, scare one child and force me to get the other two in from their sleeps in the garden just to make sure this tosspot doesn't follow through with his threats which he says will happen at 3 am?

The kids and me were asleep, it was just the security light, it's not like they were causing any trouble.

What do you think? Excuse typos sleepy typing.

Let me get this straight. Your child (with autism which may or may not be relevant) is camping in the garden with his friends. They need a light on. This is the 2nd night in a row. Am i right so far?

A man knocks on your door at 1am and asks you to switch the light off. Which you refuse to do. You call him a neighbour. It transpires that this man not only does not live next door or even backs onto your garden, he lives a whole street away.

You are rude to him so he is rude back and you call the police.

Is that right?

Drama llama??!!! ROFL!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure what I think about all of this TBH
The OP doesn't know the old man therefore doesn't know whether he may be suffering from age-related mental health decline or whether he is simply a cantankerous old man. But even cantankerous old men may have conditions or histories that have led to their personality traits.
He shouldn't have said what he did, of course not, but the OP has also potentially caused escalation of this by her response.
Somehow he knew the light was on (despite the complicated geographical description ) otherwise he wouldn't have complained. Just because he was watching TV doesn't mean he didn't realise that it might subsequently be an irritation when he went to bed.
I think the OP and the old man were both in the wrong.

It's all getting a bit silly now. I'm glad I don't live in that particular street - what a circus!

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I agree Epiphany* - we have a pretty quiet street here although we do have some louder folks round the back and further up etc. And barking dogs, BBQs and the odd loud music but we tend to ignore because we probably all do irritating things. However, that said, if someone complained about something we were doing I would be mortified and rectify the situation ASAP.

"WhoseGotMyEyebrows Quiet ironic really when ILT and Cupcakes are calling me a liar based on fresh air, but then they are accusing me of being rude.

I love irony"

That's not irony.

revoltingpeasant yes I understand. My dad who is 71 had an awful accident two years ago - he smashed his pelvis in numerous places and still takes painkillers now and he does not sleep particularly well either.

But there are still some cantankerous old people out there!

Perhaps the elderly 'neighbour' (I use the term loosely as it turns out he lives a couple of streets away!) is also autistic. Perhaps his disturbance and distress at the security light is equal to the ds' distress at having to camp in the dark..... One rule for one.....

And for the record, I wasn't crying troll. I was accusing the OP of embellishing her story to make herself come out of it in a better light. I believe that what she said in her OP happened. I just don't believe the subsequent posts about him living ninety streets away/the police rapid response unit being deployed to OP's house immediately/the teenagers hearing a conversation from the back garden that took place at the front door.

I wish someone would draw a diagram of the layout of these gardens 'cos I'm rubbish at visualising this type of thing! If I'm reading a description in a book it's the same thing - can't get my head around it!!

The pensioner was not frail, not vulnerable he turned up not asking but demanding the light was turned off immediately and got me out of a sleep myself.

IMO it is totally ridiculous to knock someones door at 1 am over a light. If the kids were partying, making a noise then I'd understand it. The weren't two had fallen asleep one wasn't yet asleep.

When I spoke to the man I thought all of the children were asleep, I didn't raise my voice just told him to stop being so ridiculous over a light at 1 am.

When I got in one of the boys came into me scared. I can't see how someone coming over for a confrontation at 1 am and how I respond as setting a bad example, given that I thought they were all asleep anyway.

Cupps no rapid response or blue lights. Now that is you making it up. The police were in the area and they came to my house, bloke lives around the corner, so they saw him, then came back to tell me of the outcome. It's no great shakes really. Still if you want to make an issue out of it feel free.

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Thank you Mumsnet

SALM I'll try, light on back of house, garden, then jetty, the garden that backs on to me, the then house, then front garden, then street, then old mans house. There is a little gap as the houses that do back on to me are end terraces so through that gap old man can see light.

Paper no not right.

There was a light on...... So how would he know you were all sleeping??

as i said earlier about noise is that just because only noise bothers you, light may bother others. I quite like the hum of bass lines if neighbours are having a party (although simply red 'stars' on loop at 4am wasn't great!) but i couldn't sleep with light.

So saying well they weren't making noise is irrelevant if it's light which bothers you!

Chinny