Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Found neighbour snooping in my side area...

92 replies

MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll · 18/10/2011 23:33

I was just sitting in my back garden and heard unmistakable footsteps in the alley leading from the cul de sac...the alley is driveway really and accesable from the street....I was sittting very quietly so knew what I heard...I waited for about 3 seconds to see if they'd try the gate and nothing...so I got up and opened the gate...nobody there...but i KNEW I had heard somene...so went up the drive to look down the street and before I got to the end...one of my neighbours popped his head out from round my next door neigbours house..right by their front door...and he waved a carrier bag and said "Just checking what bins are meant to be out!" and left...

He had not NEEDED to come down my drive to do that...my bins are out in the road as are my next door nighbours.

Now not long ago I posted about this guy staing at my child when she plays out and I got totally bollocked on here for suspecting a man of "looking"

But now feel my instincts were right somehow....WHY was he snooping around my back gate in the dark at gone 11? He was definately right by my tall back gate as I heard his steps approaching...or leaving....I had beeen there for around ten minutes...sitting silently on my table under my patio umbrella.....( something I do often as I can think clearly...its like meditation) but because I only heard ONE set of footsteps it s conceivable that he was AREADY THERE when I went out and that after some time, he tried to sneak off...

There is no way the sound played a trick on me....he was RIGHT by my gate....and then seconds later he was apparently hiding round the sde of my neighbours home. What do I do??? DH almost went and knocked on the mans door but I dissueded him.

OP posts:
slartybartfast · 19/10/2011 08:56

put a lock on the back gate

Original poster
MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll · 19/10/2011 08:56

Whywould he be lonely? He has a wife!

OP posts:
Original poster
MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll · 19/10/2011 08:57

Oh Slarty no offence but I am a bit pranoid about this thread going the way of the last one! Grin

[hammers up razor wire]

OP posts:
slartybartfast · 19/10/2011 08:58

hmm, perhaps he .. was giong to steal your rubbish. or put his rubbish in your bin.

Original poster
MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll · 19/10/2011 08:58

Right...off to call station for advice....see what they say.

OP posts:
slartybartfast · 19/10/2011 08:59

sorry, the confused Confused face was addressed to the man's behaviour. Grin

Original poster
MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll · 19/10/2011 08:59

NO slarty he had PASSED my rubbish and was standing by my gate where there is NO bin!

OP posts:
slartybartfast · 19/10/2011 09:00

i think you are doing the right thing, going to the police, will log teh complaint

let us know what or if they say.

cakeoclock · 19/10/2011 09:00

I didn't realise he had a wife. Now it seems really odd. Hope it gets sorted

scaryhairydroopytits · 19/10/2011 09:00

How old is this guy? Some of the things you have said put me in mind of the behaviour associated with dementia.
Glad you got through the night.

lesley33 · 19/10/2011 09:03

Sorry misread - non agressive chat is fine. But I still think you need to tell the police. If he has a history e.g. still under probation, his probation officer should read him the riot act, although I don't think you know that had happened. If he doesn't have a history they will just log it and do nothing.

And after saying how you feel about other elderly neighbour, it sounds as if something is wrong here. He may just be an oddball, but it doesn't sound normal behaviour.

Original poster
MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll · 19/10/2011 09:03

He is about 55 I would say scary ...DH said he feels the guy obviously has mental isues as he is never the same....one day he will say hello to DH and the next he wont...he chased a lad who was deivering leaflets and as I said earlier, he also challenges cars who don''t belong here...you know...if someone gets lost off the main road and comes down here...he's out in a flash and he says "What do you want? Nothng here for you!"

iI know this because my next door neighbour told me.

OP posts:
slartybartfast · 19/10/2011 09:07

hopefully he is a harmless old oddball geezer.
tell police.
what is his wife like?

SpookhettiTwirlerAndProud · 19/10/2011 09:07

I remember your other thread and thought it was odd. There has to be something not quite right with him. I can't think what he possibly could have been doing there at that time of night!

slartybartfast · 19/10/2011 09:08

also, why dont you have a chat with your other neighbours, see what their Take on this is - might be helpful

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 19/10/2011 09:09

Can you put a gate at the front end of the passageway to stop him coming up it at all? We have a similar set up it just had a gate at the back end of the corridor, then a man started sleeping rough down there so we had a gate put on at the front as well and feel much more secure.

AFuckingKnackeredWoman · 19/10/2011 09:12

Could you talk to his wife about it if you don't want to approach him?

philmassive · 19/10/2011 09:19

I think I'd be talking to the police tbh. Just to be on the safe side and to have your call logged. That way if anything more happens and you need to speak to them again they will have a record of your report and the fact that it was given in a reasonable way iyswim. If it ended up blowing up into an issue at least the police could see that you had done things by the book - not knocked on his door and taken things into your own hands.

lesley33 · 19/10/2011 09:20

Might be worth getting the crime prevention officer round to give you advice on what you could do/install to make itharder for him to snoop about - and I saw your thing that the stuff about the bins was an obvious lie. You don't have to have suffered from any crime and I find them very useful to tell you what to get and what not to waste your money on.

I always get them round when I live somewhere new.

sismith42 · 19/10/2011 09:21

What about a motion sensitive floodlight that will then go off for every cat passing by and annoy the heck out of you?

whatsallthehullaballoo · 19/10/2011 09:24

I commented on your last thread advising you to stay vigilant. I think he is maybe a peeping Tom voyeur type. I also think you need to report to the police so that should anything else happen they will have enough to maybe have a word with him. This is not normal behaviour but he hasn't 'done' anything yet for the police to speak to him about. Keep being vigilent. Lock everything, do not leave you dd unattended.

Original poster
MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll · 19/10/2011 09:39

I called the police and they logged it all....he said Hmm when I told him the story and agreed it sounded dodgy...he also asked for his name but I dont know it so he asked me to get hold of it from the other neighbours and phone back with the details....n case the guy has a history.

His wfe is normal looking....she's just an average 50 year old woman...seems busy a lot.

We are planning to speak to our next dor neighbours too...the're quiet and subtle people s they won't gossip. The gate suggestion wont work as the entry is split in two and half belongs to next door....there bit is higher than ours and there are a lot of laws here about the way the front looks...it's meant to stay open plan...no fences.

OP posts:
Original poster
MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll · 19/10/2011 09:40

I almost didn't mention the bit about him looking at DD....but then i did and he took it very seriously and said instincts are very important. So glad ou lot have advised me to call....thanks people....very reassuring to come on here and get level headed advice.

OP posts:
WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 19/10/2011 09:45

Glad you called. I have called them recently, because a local drunk threatened me in the street. He looks totally harmless, so does his wife, but when I reported him to the police it turned out he had a very long record of this sort of threatening behaviour and they urged me to report back any further incidents no matter how trivial.

Original poster
MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll · 19/10/2011 09:50

Did you know his name whoknows ?

OP posts: