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.

Ah x posted. Too late.

Very silly IMO

Police came that quick? Really?

No way

Boney first time I was polite though he was being ridiculous then. Last night I wasn't I was tired and he started in an aggressive tone so got met with the same back.

oh dear, i feel a bit sorry for him now.

Yes he overstepped the mark but i think police 'warning him off' could be quite upsetting. Especially when lots of people here say they would also have complained too.

Btw I don't think anyone is suggesting the teenagers should have slept in pitch black if they were scared. My 13 year old would want a light on if she was camping in the garden with friends- if indeed she was happy to camp at all- she tried once last summer and ended up indoors by midnight as she was scared of bugs! But the point is, needing some sort of light does not mean leaving on a ghastly security light- which is designed to be incredibly bright and only to go on for short bursts when there might actually be some security risk. Op - you could have kitted the teens out with torches and a lantern or some of those camping glow sticks, which would actually have made it a far more authentic camping experience anyway. Lets face it- you stuck the security light on because it was convenient as its already there- not because it was appropriate or necessary.
Having read about the houses, roads, jetties etc between your house and the neighbours, and your insistence that it couldn't possibly disturb him though he'd know it was on... Frankly I'm beginning to doubt your tale...

spuddy I don't want him charged, just to be told to leave me and mine alone. The man is a bully. If he makes threats to harm, and leaves kids in fear, then tough. I just want to make sure he knows never ever to knock my door again at any time of the day or night.

Sorry just seen you've reported him to the police and they are going to "have a word" with him.

Well done, excellent use of police resources to intimidate your elderly neighbour, who made some vague threats when tired and cross and has not followed them up in any way. Jeez.

I have sat in my bedroom, silently fuming, when the bloke three doors up's son decided to have an impromptu street party at midnight, with all of his little tracksuit-rat mates. I was SO RELIEVED when the bloke two doors up from him went out and told them to STFU.

Don't delude yourself that because no-one else complained that it was a figment of this guy's imagination. Some people just don't want the aggro' of confronting their neighbours.

Oh and he lives a full street away now? Cripes. Soon it will be "We live in London, he lives in Bangkok"...

With hindsight April that is what I'll do next time provided my son would be able to face another night out after last night.

cupcakes, she mentioned one of the boys hearing the threat waaay upthread!

How the he'll did you have time to call the police, wait for police and speak to the police? You've been posting here with little in way of intervals

And police DO NOT say they will 'warn him off'!!!! That's another threat in itself!!

ILoveTiffany Why would I lie about the police?

Goodness me, the police must have time on their hands round your way.

Hopefully they will get to the bottom of why it was bothering him so much that he left his bed at 1am to come and talk to you.

"Police have just been around, they can't see how the hell it was keeping him up either and are going around to have a chat with him and have assured me that this is the last I will see from him, they'll warn him off.

Then they'll come back and let me know how they've got on"

Really? Wow. It took the police three days to visit me when someone tried to break into my house through my catflap, when I was stood IN my kitchen! They came and took a statement. They had a suspect in for questioning already when they called. I heard fuck all back though. Obviously attempted burglary is not as important as elderly man making veiled threats to rude neighbour. The things you learn...

How they will speak to him I don't know. ILT it doesn't take long for the police to talk to me and for me to tell them what has happened. They checked out the garden and can't see why he is complaining either.

ILT I called the police earlier they've just been in check the posting times there will be a 10 minute gap at least when they arrived.

CUP they have not taken a statement, I have told them, they are going to see him and have a word with him about making threats and not coming to my house for any reason again.

Not much point in this thread is there? OP why did you ask in AIBU since you're so clearly convinced YWNBU, despite everyone telling you otherwise?

are you the one who kept on mithering about your son's father taking him away for one night

well then if i were him i would call the police whenever your light came on (if i was not allowed to knock and make a reasonable request this would be the only alternative - This will only escalate.

He also didn't threaten your children, he made a veiled unfulfilled threat to you after being called ridiculous.

i think you are being a bit defensive and precious.

I didn't say that had taken a statement from you, I was just saying what happened in my case. Even though they warranted it serious enough to take a statement, they didn't say they'd let me know the outcome. I was just saying how amazingly weird that is.

On the other thread you say you left the light on after the children were inside "out of pure defiance". If you seriously thought you had been threatened, why on earth would you do that?

exotic There is no history, I didn't even know where he lived, when I went out to find out this morning he approached me. It is only the second time he has spoken to me both times to complain about the light, one in the day and one at 1 am.

cupcakes 2 of my neighbours have told me that the Police told them to leave a garden light on and a hallway light on in the night as this puts bulgars off and they are more likely to go in dark places/gardens. I'm the only one who doesn't have it on and they are a bit hmm at me. But it doesn't make difference because the whole back area is lit by them.

What others in high crime cities do ?

yy banana. As I said all it's one stressful thing after another for the OP, and I think it would have been better for her to not create another dramatic situation which will cause even more stress.

If I were him I'd be making a complaint about police who order him not to complain about disturbed sleep