Telford man harassed and attacked neighbours
A pensioner subjected his neighbours to an aggressive campaign of harassment by throwing bricks at their conservatory, shining lights at them and exposing himself as they sat in the garden, a court heard.
Desmond John Sankey also beat his neighbour in Mitchell Way, Madeley, Telford, with a stick.
But the 67-year-old's strange and aggressive behaviour was the result of mental health problems that were undergoing treatment, an expert told the court.
Mr Mike Phillips, prosecuting at Telford Magistrates Court, said the troubles began on July 20 2014, as the defendant's neighbours were sitting in their conservatory.
The couple had become aware of a light being shone at them from over their six-foot garden fence and found that Sankey had attached a reading light to a pole and raised it up.
His neighbours responded by putting up towels to keep out the light.
The following day the couple were sitting in their garden when Sankey yelled out "if you're no good for your wife I'll give her a good seeing to", said the prosecutor.
On another occasion the couple found that the defendant had thrown soup over the conservatory roof and was yelling at them to clean it up, said Mr Phillips.
Later, they were sitting in the garden when they heard a fence panel being raised out of its place and turned to see the defendant wearing nothing but a T-shirt, said the prosecutor.
The defendant was arrested on August 7, 2014, but on August 31 he burst into the couple's garden and hit his neighbour with a stick leaving him with marks, said the prosecutor.
On October 4 he again attacked the neighbour with a stick during a confrontation over a burglar alarm when Sankey had also visited another neighbour's address and had been banging on the doors and windows at 2am, frightening the occupant.
Sankey pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by beating, two charges of harassment without violence and one charge of criminal damage.
He was given an 18-month conditional discharge and told to pay £265 court costs. He was given an indefinite restraining order banning him from going to his neighbours' properties.
Mr Simon Bell, of the Community Mental Health Team, said Sankey had an underlying mental illness.
Mr Shaun Davies, for Sankey, said that the events had been a difficult part of the defendant's life.
