A feud which culminated in the elderly husband of a council leader beating up his neighbour in front of his young daughter started when the pensioner was asked to stop pestering his wife.
Lisa Miller, 40, who lives with her husband Shaun, 38, and three children in the leafy village of Easington, North Yorkshire, said the family have been through "two years of hell" since the dispute started with neighbour Richard Lanigan, 74, over a boundary row.
Footage shown as evidence at Teesside Magistrate's Court last year captured the moment Lanigan - who's married to Redcar and Cleveland District Council Mary Lanigan - attacked Shaun.
In the assault, Lanigan repeatedly punched and kicked Shaun next to a war memorial and in front of his terrified six-year-old daughter.
But Mrs Miller - who moved into the area with her family in 2017 - claims the brawl was the result of two long years of awkwardness and conflict between the two houses.
Two years after moving into the neighbourhood, Mrs Miller says she started receiving an unwelcome guest.
She claims that Mr Lanigan was always coming over trying to strike up conversations with her.
Lisa told the MailOnline : "He turned up at my door asking if he could take my dog for a walk as his had died and began bringing our bins in without being asked.
"He'd commented on what I was wearing a couple of times and though to some it would sound as though he was just being nice it made me feel uncomfortable."
When the pandemic struck, Mrs Miller said she used it as a chance to ask him to stop coming round.
But after doing so, his "face just fell" and his behaviour turned weird, she added.
Mrs Miller believes Lanigan ripped out a number of bushes on the property, which she later found next to the war memorial.
After replanting them, the Millers received a letter which had been written on Redcar and Cleveland Council headed paper demanding the shrubs be removed.
She later called the council, who told her they knew nothing about the bush issue.
On the day of Lanigan's violent outburst, the couple had just wanted to show him an email about the row - but the 74-year-old "went crazy, punching and kicking him as our young daughter watched from the pavement", she adds.
Following the trial at Teesside Magistrate's Court this week, Lanigan - who goes by "Mike" - was told to stay away from the family.
He was slapped with a restraining order forcing him keep away from their home and is also facing a pay-out of more than £2,300 after being found guilty of assault and criminal damage.
The family say they have been left living in fear due Lanigan's actions and spoke of their relief at securing the restraining order.
Lanigan was sentenced at Teesside Magistrates' Court after being found guilty in a trial at the same court in early March.
Lanigan is the husband of Redcar and Cleveland Council leader Mary Lanigan, who was present at the time of the attack and who gave evidence at his trial in his defence.
The sentencing hearing was told how Lanigan was a "vulnerable man" in failing physical and mental health and who continued to deny any wrongdoing.
Violence flared in a confrontation on August 15 last year as Lanigan carried out maintenance work at the cenotaph close to the couple's home on Whitby Road.
Lanigan assaulted Miller in front of his six-year-old daughter at the war memorial site, Teesside Live reports.
Mr Miller was knocked to the ground in the attack, which was captured on both CCTV and mobile phone footage, before being kicked several times by Lanigan after getting back on his feet.
Lisa Miller read out an emotional statement to the court saying: "Since the assault on my husband, and the harassment that I have experienced at the hands of Mike Lanigan, there have been a number of factors which have affected my daily life.
"I have had to watch as my husband has been in pain as a result of the assault.
"This resulted in the doctor diagnosing whiplash and prescribing strong medication.
"My daughter who is six was present with her father when he was assaulted; she has experienced nightmares, a panic attack and sleepless nights as a result of being in fear of Mike Lanigan.
"She has also witnessed Mike Lanigan continuing to be present around our property boundary up to six times per week following the assault."
