To report this guy to the police

[bagpuss90]

Just been speaking to my mum , her and my dad are both in their 80s . Both enjoy walking nowhere too challenging. Anyway she told me they were out walking yesterday and accidentally wandered into someone’s land. Dads not great at reading maps. She told me the land owner was very verbally aggressive and threatening towards them. Told them if they didn’t turn back he’d he’d kick their arses off his land . Dad apparently tried to ask for directions and got sworn at. Told them if they did it again they’d wish to god they hadn’t. Mum was quite upset. Okay they shouldn’t have been there. But AIBU in thinking this is really no way to speak to an elderly couple and totally OTT ? Should I report him ?

I would probably get threatened if I walked across someone else's back garden. I shout to people trespassing on our farm to please leave, I'm not rude but honestly you get so pissed off with it.

Some landowners are arseholes.
Some walkers are arseholes.

In this case the landowner was the arsehole.
There's a heck of a difference between elderly ramblers getting lost and others taking the piss.
The landowner probably has a dick a lot smaller than his mouth.

To quote a PP:

"Threatening behaviour of this kind is a criminal offence under the Public Order Act 1986. Depending on the exacting wording and situation, it could also be an offence under the Offences Against the Person Act 2003."

So yeah, it is to do with the police.

It's bizarre how many people on this thread are patronisingly telling OP that she's silly for even suggesting the police over "rudeness" when she's specifically said he made threats.

Something similar happened near to where my parents used to live. A man was being very aggressive to people who wandered onto "his land". The reason for people wandering onto the land was that it was't fenced/delineated in any way from the public land. But then things took a turn...

I think the police must have received enough calls of aggressive behaviour (really horrible and OTT) so something must have made them visit, or suspicious, as the house and outbuildings were raided one night and it turns out he was a trafficker and had been keeping people in his sheds/outbuildings.

It was really shocking.

MaidOfSteel
thank you 😊

And if some young man threatened to kick your 80-year-old grandparents’ arses because they’d got lost and strayed onto his land, you’d be fine with that. Lovely. I wonder if he’s so daring with other aggressive men his own age? Unlikely.

I wish police would take action over real crimes, such as threatening old people with violence.

What's a small dick got to do with this? I've encountered a few small dicks in my time. There is no correlation between them and being a shit.

He was rude, but its not a police matter, they are not nanny you know!

Well said!

I would definitely report him. He may have excuses, but he could have caused your elderly parents harm, even if unintentional. Bullies shouldn't be tolerated. Otherwise, deal with him yourself and explain the upset he caused. His land or not, does not give him the right to be aggressive to people of any age.

@Wolfinthehouse Makes a very valid point.

Trespassing across land carries a very high biosecurity risk for many land owners especially people who keep birds and have environmentally sensitive areas. Carrying virus, fungus, disease and unknown microscopic carriers from site to site can decimate local populations for all manner of fauna, spread floral disease and invasive parasitic organisms between water bodies.

Professional's and workers who visit many of these sites for various reason have strict biosecurity measures with clothing, footwear, vehicles and equipment. The effects can bankrupt landowners and decimate local biodiversity. Bird flu is also very prevalent at this time.

Everything is not as simple in life as many would like to paint these pictures.

I thought to trespass you either had to cause damage or had intent to damage, not just walk onto someone’s land. ( might be wrong, might be thinking of somewhere else I’ve lived other than UK!)
The landowner’s behaviour sounds threatening so yes, I’d give the police a ring on 101. He could just as easily said you're on private land would you mind leaving by that gate.

Technically your parents were breaking the law and I don't there is a law in place against verbally abusing trespassers.
It's an unfortunate situation as obviously your parents didn't mean to and I hope they'll be able to avoid being in such an unpleasant situations like that in future.

The man is likely frustrated with people coming onto his land all the time. But I would get lost myself if it wasn't for Google maps on my phone.

Yes he was rude & out of order but you do realise for the Police to take it further your parents will have to give statements to the them. Do you/they really want that? Id imagine that's going to end up potentially stressful for them is it really worth it for what is a minor (although unpleasant) incident

Like a PP, I'd wonder if he was up to something shady and didn't want anyone seeing evidence of it. Either that or he's just a horrible, frightening person. The best course of action, since a crime wasn't committed and they were in the wrong to be there, is to simply avoid his property and withy any luck never have to see the aggressive jerk again.

Of course no one should speak to anyone like that but walkers need to avoid trespassing. If they live in the countryside, they presumably know this?

There is so much theft and animal worrying in the countryside that many landowners are understandably quick to get angry. There was a heartbreaking story in the paper last weekend about walkers and dogs worrying pregnant sheep and newborn lambs, leading to awful deaths and huge costs for farmers.

Sorry to sound harsh but they need to plan their walks better. If map reading isn't easy then stick to signposted walking routes? Join a walking club?

Report him? Who to, and for what? What does their age have to do with them trespassing? I'm presuming they're mentally competent.
If that had been me I'd have apologised and scuttled off straight away.
Sounds like they hung around trying to explain and engage in conversation. That would rile me. They could have said a lot worse than "Get awf my laaaaand"

Get a grip OP 🙄

And it's still not breaking the law, unlike your parents who did!

No one should speak to elderly people like that but he hasn't broken the law! Complete waste of police time!

Unhinged? More like passed off with their faffing about and lack of autonomy

He threatened your elderly parents with bodily harm. Yes, report it to the police. You might be the first report, but you might be the 4th or the 20th. Police may be aware of this person already and quite willing to visit him. You don't know until you report it.

Don't report him.

Do you have any, erh, large men friends? If so, I'd arrange a little walk with them and your parents (just to see where exactly the old people went, as it were). If some of you use walking sticks, all the better; take them along.

See if you can find the self-styled 'landowner', and ask him what makes him so special, given that as we all know, the land belongs to the people.

Get the most inventive of your friends to think of a good fruity way of telling this excuse for a human being where to get off. Perhaps explain to him some possible bad consequences for himself if he fails to mend his ways forthwith.

Smile, smile, then leave. If he attacks you, of course, defend yourselves. Use only as much necessary force as is required, but no less than that.

Although your parents were technically trespassing I think that given they were not trying to and were asking for directions as they were clearly lost I think shouting and verbally threatening an older couple was out of order.

Would it be trespassing if someone gets the wrong address and goes up to your front door thinking they are at the right house?
Would you scream at them to get off your property

As someone who walks a lot on right of ways I don’t think you have to be elderly to get the wrong directions.

Some places are well marked and some you have to look hard to find the right markers and if you miss one it is very easy to get lost.