Domestic violence from neighbour- need help!

[Queenofheaven]

I’ve had an ongoing nightmare saga with an ex-convict neighbour who has been abusing his gf, mum and pretty much everyone around him for years. I have PTSD from an abusive childhood so this has been a nightmare situation for me.

Over the years I’ve been in contact with the landlord, the police, the safer neighbourhoods police team, local councillors and MPs- reported his nuisance noise to the council etc. This man seems untouchable.

The other day he was violently physically attacking his gf and they were having an extreme argument. We called police. He shouts at them the whole time, swears at them, also tells them they can’t come into his flat (they agree for some reason!) and they speak to him at an open door and speak to the gf downstairs in the communal area.

She defends him, says it’s actually us who are always fighting (lol), and for some reason officers are happy with this and leave. Keep in mind this man was in prison for a masked attack on a family that he carried out with other men. He’s had people show up with machetes outside our flat, he threatened kill his daughters bf and police came to take her away - even then he swore at them, told them not to come into his flat and they didn’t. He wasn’t arrested, wasn’t questioned.

It’s been a few days since this incident now but his door has been open for the past 3 days and a buzzing alarm going off every morning. Zero noise or movement from his flat, unsure if he’s even in there or not.

This situation has ground me down and I don’t even want to be involved now but can’t tell if we’re in danger or need to do something more. We are moving in 3 months but have nowhere to stay until then, I don’t know what to do honestly. An ambulance was here for him a few weeks ago too and he came back in a hospital gown so I’m sort of wondering if there’s been a medical event.

as a young social worker I witnessed a DVA incident and naively let the police discourage the victim from pressing charges. They told me there was no point taking it further as ‘she’d only end up dropping the charges and going back to him’ I happened to mention this to a police officer in a superior position who was absolutely livid and explained this to me. The laws have changed due to victims feeling it’s too big a risk and feeling more vulnerable if they choose to press charges themselves. The officers came back and took my statement with their tails between their legs but also very bolshy because in their eyes I’d grassed them up

Just read what he says and it sounds like he has mental health problems tbh. Which could account for him ranting and raving. In which case id have a word with police and just say please dont involve me or tell him i mentioned it to you. Or maybe get someone else to notify police. Don't know what id do in the same circumstances because you dont really know anything about him or his health, mental or otherwise.

Keep your head down and count the days until you move.

@Queenofheaven I just wanted to say I COMPLETELY sympathise!

I live in a HA flat (1st floor). Have done for many many years. Every neighbour I’ve had below me has been a nightmare.

My last neighbour however was the WORST one. She would play music so loud my windows would shake. She’d been a pain for ages and we’d ended up doing mediation and I thought maybe we were getting somewhere. How wrong I was.

It came to a head one night when she came home pissed at 4am and woke the whole block up (there’s only 6 flats in each block).

When I texted her to ask if she’d kindly mind just keeping the noise down a little, she went on an absolute tirade of abuse at me. Sent me abusive and threatening text messages. Rang me and ranted at me down the phone. Then stood in her flat shouting up that she was going to stab me in the face. Then stood in the communal hallway shouting threats to us all for 2 hours (about how she’d come from prison and how none of us would be able to walk the area as she’d have us looking over our shoulders kind of stuff). No sleep for me that night! So work was fun the next day (I also WFH).

She also wrote a racist word in the communal carpet (and tried to say we’d done it, despite the fact I was mixed race the same as her. Housing still haven’t replaced the carpet).

Myself and another neighbour recorded it all. Sent it to the housing. They gave her a Section 21. I was asked to go to court as a witness. Took time off work and had to sit directly behind her in the small courtroom. Only for the HA solicitor and her solicitor to agree that she could stay providing she behaved herself over the next 6 months and they would help her move to alternative accommodation. In the meantime my HA bought a Ring doorbelll for me and offered me a fireproof letterbox. I mean if you’re offering those things you know this person is a threat!

I ended up on anxiety medication throughout all. I was having palpitations through the stress.

Thankfully they did move her a few months later. But it felt like the perpetrator was treated better than the victims. It’s a joke.

I’m glad your moving. I bet you can’t wait!! Just wanted you to know that some of us have experienced similar experiences with utterly vile neighbours.

Can you have security camera's somewhere, get a doorbell camera.
Keep a written record of incidents and any police visits