Shall i call the police

[BlondiebyBottle]

Hi everyone. i am really stressed to the max right now. I'll try to put it in a nut shell.
My neighbour has been really unreasonable and increasingly strange since lockdown. On one rare ocassion i was watching my tv at 7.30 pm then 10 minutes later and he started banging down my door saying it was too loud. I was surprised but turned it down. A few weeks after that i bumped into him and he said to me that my child's singing irriated him. He was really unpleasant and i went on to explain that the children were off school because of lockdown and very board. Then on another occasion my childs father and my child opened my front gate and knocked the door at 6:45pm after a walk for some exercise when the neighbour jumped out shouting that they were not to knock the door or open the gate as it is too loud. Of course this upset my childs father but he just brushed him off and came in.

Last week i found the neigjbour cutting my back hedge, which does not intrude in hiz propery in any way as it over looks the back alleyway, and he dumped the cuttings over the gate. i politely asked him to stop and he told me it was "cutting his legs".
Then a couple of days ago at 8.am my child and i had just finished using the bathroom and i had opened the blinds to the hallway which overlooks the garden when to my horror and shock i saw a naked man standing in his garden. It took me a few moments to process it was the neighbour. He glanced up and i quickly turned away, thankfully my child did not see but when i turned around he made no attempt go in.
Then to make matters worse i told my childs father but he agreed not to confront him and keep my confidence

Childs father came up in the evening. As soon as he knocked on the door the neighbour jumped out of his house and started starring at him in a menacing way. It was like he was trying to provoke an aurgement which did occur as he told the neighbour that i had seen him naked in the garden, to which he didnt acknowlege but the neighbour continued to rant on about the garden hedge. This later led to me and my childs father having a huge row for telling the neighbour that i saw him as now i feel very vunerable. I hope i have explained this properly because as i wright this im so stressed out and dont know what to do. Should i report this incident to the police?

Errr....yes I would...

What incident? You can be naked in your own garden if you choose to be... He's broken no law.
What does your partner "agreed to keep your confidence" mean?

I don't think that there is any harm in doing so.

His behaviour is scary. He could just be an aggressive weirdo, or he could be off his meds, or he could just be frustrated by lockdown and seeking someone to fight with.

I would cite the occasions where he has appeared threatening and I would explain how it made you feel.

Do it online. I have done this before, they called within 24 hours and have special neighbourhood officers who will be discreet.

At least if you report it if he is known to them already, they can help him etc.

it is called harassment and it is illegal.

Timetoshine i realise you can be naked in your own garden but he wasnt sunbathing he was standing at the top of the garden he clearly saw me and made no attempt to move. This man is not a naturist i was really shocked as i have known him for quite a while and had been previouly friendly with him. in keeping my confidence i meant that as in i did not want him ro confront the neighbour as my childs father was upset that our child could have seen that.

If you are disturbed by his behaviour and it is having an effect upon your child, and you are not doing anything to wind him up then yes I would report him in case the situation escalates. Get it nipped in the bud

Lockdown has made a lot of people go a bit crazy and children making noise is disturbing particularly to older people, but standing naked is challenging behaviour IMHO and that needs addressing. I would find it unacceptable if my neighbour did it, but then I would probably say something to the guy myself.

It’s possible your neighbour is suffering some mental health issues. Has he any family you could talk to and raise your concerns with?
Maybe a call to Adult Social Care?
These changes in behaviour are certainly a worry for you and could escalate.

No OP the Police have enough to do without neighbour hood disputes. Just ignore him

Yes

Did he cut your hedge so that he could ensure that you got a better view of his bits? That might have been the whole point...

You would be wasting valuable police time. Can you not have a proper conversation with this neighbour. You might well get a better idea of why he is like he is, and what his demeanour is like if you talk to him, without any confrontation.

@caramac04

It’s possible your neighbour is suffering some mental health issues. Has he any family you could talk to and raise your concerns with? Maybe a call to Adult Social Care? These changes in behaviour are certainly a worry for you and could escalate.

These were my thoughts too - he's maybe got dementia.

Caramac No family members he hardly has visitors i have only seen one recent friend. i never thought he had a mental illness but he is displaying behavior that indicates something is wrong. There was an awful rotton smell coming from his house when we had the heat wave and so many bluebottle flies. Then he started pacing up and down the road and going in and out of his house. Then this friend appeared and they started dumping a huge amount of things out the back into a van. Apart from him he hardly has anyone around.

pinksunday my childs father thought he may be developing dementia too.

I would since he was naked in garden when he knew you and child could see.

He sounds like he's having a mental health crisis. Would Social Services be better than Police?

I think the council might be my first port of call - see what advice they give if he's not a council tenant? I'm not sure what exactly the police would do (apart from maybe indecent exposure).

Perhaps a call to 101 and speak to them explaining what has been going on would be helpful as they can advise you what to do.

I know someone in a very similar situation to yours. Police are aware.

My friend has had to put up with unsociable behaviour from a neighbour who previously spoke to her, and now the whole thing has got out of hand, and it is disturbing for her children to see.