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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

...to wonder if my creepy neighbour sabotaged my car?

72 replies

TotalWhittle · 23/12/2018 17:17

I need some objective viewpoints, as I'm not sure if I'm getting paranoid or if something weird is going on here. Blush

I got to know my next door neighbour last year when I was single. He was very interested in dating and so was I initially, but he came on very strong and got extremely controlling very quickly. After we got chatting and swapped numbers, he tried to insist on me seeing him straight away. The last time it happened he asked to see me, I said I was out with friends and he asked to see me when I got back. I said politely that I wouldn't be back until very late and had to go to work at 5am so I wanted to go straight to bed. First he said I should come and sleep with him, then apologised when I said that was way too far, then he tried to insist I just pop in and see him for five minutes so he could apologise. I said no, so he said he'd bought me a "treat" and I just needed to come by and pick it up and then he'd "let me" go home. I told him that wasn't happening. So he watched for me getting home, then came over and knocked, so I ignored him, then he texted to say he'd left my "treats" (that word makes me shudder) on the doorstep! Turned out to be chocolates which I threw in the bin. I told him I wasn't interested after that. He texted me for months begging for another chance, then fell quiet. (I didn't block him as I'd rather he was able to text me than come and knock on my door, but I was politely clear that I wasn't interested.) He completely blanks me now but his expression is always furious when he does.

Now the car stuff: I live in a small group of houses with a secure gate and shared car park. A young single neighbour, around my age, was recently driven out by someone repeatedly putting nails under her wheels and at other times letting her tyres down). She lodged a report with the police but there was no evidence of who did it, and she eventually gave up and moved out. So that was horrible for her (and weird for us all, as we knew it was someone in the estate).

Then weird stuff started happening to me too, after I got a new boyfriend. First, my boyfriend parked his car in one of the two "spare" spaces for two days the first time he stayed over (it's in everyone's contracts that these spaces are first come first served for visitors, and they are almost never used). We were walking to the houses from his car and creepy neighbour bumped into us, looked furious but then ignored us. After that during the day, someone printed a (fake, as it turns out) warning notice, supposedly from the estate management service, saying this was an allocated space and threatening to have boyfriend's car towed unless he moved it. A quick google showed it was printed from a general online generator, but just in case it was actually the management I called them and turns out they hadn't left the notice. We moved the car out onto the next street for future visits anyway, as we thought if someone cared enough to leave threatening notes then they might well be capable of keying the car or something. Thought that was the end of it. But we just found today that someone had let down his tyre (no puncture but totally flat; fine once re-inflated). Again, weird.

Finally, I had a car accident last month. I noticed my steering was a bit "weird" (felt loose?) when I was out driving, but didn't quite register it before turning a corner, losing control and smacking into a tree. I was going an appropriate speed, had just had the car serviced a month earlier (everything was fine) and have never had an accident. Unfortunately I sustained a head injury and the car was written off and scrapped before I recovered enough to think about this sort of thing, so I'll never know if someone tampered with it.

I know these things happen, but with the other things that have gone on and now boyfriend's tyre being let down today, I wonder if the person who victimised my poor neighbour might also be targeting me (and no prizes for guessing who, if so). I'm entirely open to being told I'm paranoid. Grin Thoughts?

OP posts:
covetingthepreciousthings · 23/12/2018 18:33

Another vote for cameras..
I'd be suspicious of your neighbour in your position OP.

Do any of the other neighbours have contact still with nice neighbour who left? I wonder if creepy neighbour also had a thing for her too.

Definitely log to police incase she had reported any concerns about him when her car was being targeted.

Annunaki · 23/12/2018 18:50

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TotalWhittle · 23/12/2018 19:11

Thanks, some good ideas about how to contact nice neighbour. I'll ask around - plenty good chances to catch up at the moment, with us all taking parcels in for each other. Smile

Are dash cams obviously visible (would help if they're a deterrent)?

OP posts:
Annunaki · 23/12/2018 20:43

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covetingthepreciousthings · 23/12/2018 21:05

How many neighbours is there OP? Could you discretely speak to the others and ask them to keep their eyes open for anything regarding yours & your oh cars?

TotalWhittle · 24/12/2018 12:51

There are a handful of houses preciousthings, I'm going to try to get round the ones I'm friendly with. I know no one saw anything regarding nice neighbour as we talked about it at the time.

Annunaki, perhaps if the whole estate covers their cars in them, whoever's responsible will be scared off!

OP posts:
covetingthepreciousthings · 11/01/2019 12:41

@TotalWhittle any more updates on the situation OP?

badlydrawnperson · 11/01/2019 12:43

YANBU to wonder but the steering can't have failed in that way from tampering.

TotalWhittle · 28/04/2019 11:43

UPDATE:

Bumped into creepy neighbour a couple of days ago while walking to the nearby shop with OH - CN going the other way back home. I didn't make eye contact but after CN had passed, OH looked back and asked who was the man who was staring at me (he was apparently still staring long after we'd passed each other).

OH and I got back after going to the shop and by a huge coincidence Hmm "someone" had snapped the aerial off OH's car which was parked on the road outside. This definitely happened that day as OH had driven the car the day before, and all was fine. I had also passed the car on the way out a couple of hours ago, and it was fine then too.

I was furious and ready to go and bang on CN's door, but realised this wasn't going to solve anything as he could just deny it. I'm going to ring and ask the police about it tomorrow, but I doubt it'll achieve anything as I've no proof. But seriously what do I do (other than move)?!

OP posts:
EL2019 · 28/04/2019 11:44

How awful.
Get a motion activated dash cam for both your cars.

Sparkletastic · 28/04/2019 11:51

Definitely speak to neighbours and then get security camera. Do you have any way of contacting nice neighbour who was forced out? Would be useful to know if she alerted police or had any run-ins with creepy neighbour.

wigglypiggly · 28/04/2019 12:01

Can you park opposite your windows and set up a camera inside your own house. I would call the management t company, do they hold meetings, do you have eighbourhood watch. Dashcam definitely, you can ask for CCTV to be put up

Birdshitbridgegotme · 28/04/2019 12:07

Oh this is scary. Please update what the police say

Babooshkar · 28/04/2019 12:20

Too many coincidences!

TotalWhittle · 28/04/2019 12:55

Exactly @Babooshkar, and I live in a lovely area where this kind of thing just doesn't happen. It was also broad daylight so I can't see some random person risking it; you'd have to be really motivated (angry?) to risk damaging someone's car in those circumstances. And there is no one else in the area I have difficulties with. It's a really nice community.

@Sparkletastic, unfortunately nice neighbour moved on and didn't keep in touch with anyone. She was understandably creeped out and just wanted to forget about it, I think.

Everyone who's suggested dash cam/CCTV, I'm going to ask about CCTV for the car park. There is a management rep who visits and I will be off work next time she comes, so I can ask her directly and explain why. I've been short of cash so I've currently got a sticker that says I have a camera on my car, but nothing else...stupidly we thought OH's car was the safe one as it's out on the road in public view, so we were more worried about mine in the private parking area!

OP posts:
KatewithaH · 28/04/2019 12:59

Do you have a window that overlooks carpark? You can get CCTV cameras that don’t need fixing in so you could put on windowsills to film.

ambereeree · 28/04/2019 13:19

Get a small camera from amazon you can put them on your door or window. Have it overlook your car.

hazell42 · 28/04/2019 13:23

I feel your pain. I too have a creepy neighbour. Mine is a woman, married, with children. She has hated me since the monent she moved n 4 years ago. No idea why.
I have spoke to her only once when she knocked on my door, drunk, and made sonme very nasty accusations, all of which were untrue. She also reported me and my children to social services, who, after a quick visit, could not have been less interested.
For the last 4 years I have pretended not to be able to see or hear her, and told my children to do the same.
Mt car has been keyed constantly (dint check ut any more), chewing gum stuck to roof, handles etc. So many flat tyres j have lost count. my mechanic has extracted several nails and the tip of a Stanley knife from the tyres
I know it is her and her despicable children, but I refuse to engage with her at all and I know it is no use contacting the police because she made herself chairman of the neighbourhood watch and is constantly inviting the police round for coffee.
I am moving in a few weeks and cannot wait to be rid of her.
You can be sure that I will be breaking my vow of silence as the removal van pulls out.

covetingthepreciousthings · 28/04/2019 13:59

I wondered how you were getting on OP, thanks for coming back to update further.

I'd definitely report it to the police so they can at least log it.

I'd also look into cctv, I wonder if you printed off a letter to warn others but say you've reported this behaviour to police it would put creepy neighbour off if he knew you were onto him?

wigglypiggly · 28/04/2019 14:11

It should be reported to the management company who can then send out a letter to all the residents saying they have had reports of local car vandalism and damage and that the matter will be monitored and any further incidences will be reported to the police or that the police are also aware. they can also put up cctv where the cars are parked.

CurtainsOpen · 28/04/2019 14:15

Is your neighbour a male BulletFox?

Mousetolioness · 28/04/2019 17:16

OP. After the crash was your car not inspected to determine the cause? In light of the incidents you describe is it too late for the insurance company to look at it, or will it have been sent to the breaker's yard?

TotalWhittle · 29/04/2019 10:22

@mousetolioness, unfortunately my car was scrapped due to the level of damage. I had sustained a minor head injury in the crash and the insurers were calling me every hour demanding that I agree they could get the car scrapped, as it was costing them more the longer it was in the recoverer’s yard. I wasn’t thinking straight at all because of the concussion and agreed under pressure. Retrospectively I’m really not happy with how they pressured me but unfortunately too late to fix it now.

OP posts:
TotalWhittle · 29/04/2019 10:24

@Hazell42 that’s appalling!!

I like the idea of getting management to send out a letter (perhaps once I’ve got a police reference number to give it some extra clout).

OP posts:
Bbang · 29/04/2019 10:46

Cameras are the only way to solve this really, it’ll be the only definite way of proving who it is. Personally I can’t see how it isn’t him, I would get the motion activated camera for the car and one for the house too as a matter of urgency, I would also report all this to the police ASAP.

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