A man who wanted a better view of mountains cut a hole in his neighbour's hedge in a campaign of harassment. Alexander Edwards also also shone a torch at his neighbour’s CCTV camera, sang rap music and goaded dogs into barking late at night.
Llandudno Magistrates' Court heard that the hole appeared in Ian Cox's hedge in 2020. There was no CCTV footage of the culprit but Edwards later admitted making it "so he could see the view of the mountains from his bedroom window".
The victim did have footage of Edwards shining a torch at the CCTV camera at night. The court heard Edwards would also encourage dogs to bark at midnight or 1am. In another incident, Edwards would sing rap music lyrics at Mr Cox. These included the line "I'm f****** gonna kill yer," said the prosecutor.
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Mr Cox, of Pengarth, Conwy, complained to Conwy council and North Wales Police and on Wednesday Edwards admitted harassing the victim. A judge at Llandudno Magistrates Court ordered him to do 80 hours of unpaid work. The court heard it was Edwards' mother Jane Edwards who had started a row with her next door neighbour Mr Cox and, when Edwards came to live with her, Edwards became "embroiled" in that row.
Prosecutor Rhian Jackson said that Mr Cox reported issues with Mrs Edwards to Conwy Council as long ago as 2014. He was helped by an anti-social behaviour officer and was advised to keep a log. Mr Cox also installed a CCTV camera.
The case centred on a series of incidents between July 2021 and January this year which amounted to harassment. The prosecutor said someone, later found to be the defendant, cut the hole, several feet square, in Mr Cox's hedge without permission on July 5.
Then Edwards stuck up his middle finger towards Mr Cox in their street on August 2. He did the same to Mr Cox in his van, then ran after him causing alarm, on January 4.
And he spat at Mr Cox's van window later that day. In a victim statement, Mr Cox said the incidents mean he cannot use his garden and he is reluctant to walk on their estate.
"He just wants to be left alone to live a normal life," said the prosecutor. Graham Parry, defending, said Edwards had had a view down the valley until the hedge grew "out of control".
He said the defendant was allowed to cut the hedge, albeit on his own side. The District Judge Gwyn Jones told Edwards in the dock: "For whatever reason, you got embroiled in a dispute which is not of your making.
"Whatever the rights and wrongs of this matter, you conducted a series of little acts which caused harassment to your neighbour. It was anti-social behaviour."
The District Judge noted that Edwards had never "troubled the courts" before but he added: "I'm satisfied that this offence is serious enough to justify a community order." As well as imposing the 12-month community order to do the unpaid work, the District Judge made a four-year restraining order prohibiting the defendant from contacting or approaching Ian Cox directly or indirectly.
It also bans him from entering the curtilage of any property occupied by Mr Cox. The defendant must also pay £85 costs and a £95 surcharge.
