A family were fuming after a former Police and Crime Commissioner erected hay bales blocking their countryside view. John Turner, 50, and his disabled mum Maxine, 78, live in Thornham, Norfolk, and say they are locked in a neighbour dispute over hay bales they said were put up by a neighbour, Stephen Bett, 68.
Maxine has multiple sclerosis and eye condition macular degeneration, and her main joy has been looking out over the fields where she has lived for 40 years. A vandal recently cut down 95 conifer trees - planted four years ago by former Police and Crime Commissioner Mr Bett - prompting suspicion to fall on John.
Mr Bett, who has lived there 20 years, then erected hay bales stacked on top of each other so they stood 11ft tall, blocking the view, John claims. Norfolk Police were called on July 12 to the neighbour dispute after John lost his temper and shoved the bales but it was decided no crime had been committed.
Mr Bett, who was PCC for the area until 2016, then allegedly rebuilt the hay bales which are still stacked, although slightly less tall because they are on their side. John said before his dad Frank died, the view of fields with horses running around was the best thing in his life.
Just before Frank died of covid in January 2021, aged 89, he asked John to take care of Maxine - which John says he is now doing by fighting for her right to a nice view. He has said he won't be attempting to push over the hay bales in future and is stumped about how to challenge it.
John said: "I said to Stephen if I'd cut down the trees I would have done it years ago. My dad was stuck in a chair and loved that view - that and the snooker.
"Three weeks ago the trees were cut down; not all of them, a large selection of them, 95 were cut down in total. The police haven't got anything to go on.
"The police were called because I pushed over one of the hay bales. I did this because my mum was upset.
"I want my mother with what sight she's got to see the horses running around. She's pretty much housebound.
"My parents had been here since 1982. Mr Bett moved in 20 years ago. He said he didn't like my mother's washing, or the barbecues which we don't have. She's losing her vision and has MS she can't leave the house really, she loses too much energy.
"She tends to look out the window to see the horses go past and now all she can see is those bales of hay. Within a year her sight has deteriorated, all I wanted was for her to have something to look at before it completely goes. Mother phoned me up she said the farmer has put these bales in front of our garden. I saw them and a red mist came up and I pushed them all down.
"Within a week he'd put them back up again on their sides. They're nearly a tonne each."
Mr Bett, who was Norfolk's independent PCC between 2012 and 2016, said: "This all happened when I was out of the country in France," The Mirror reports.
He confirmed that he had reported the loss of his 95 leylandii trees to police, but officers had told him nothing could be done as it was not known who was responsible. Mr Bett said "They said that unless we could prove who had done it, there was nothing they could do. It is understandable because it was done in the middle of the night.
"It was done in front of his (Mr Turner's) property. I have no idea whether he did it or not, and I don't know who did it, but it was done."
Mr Bett added: "The police were called as he came round and was extremely abusive and intimidating to a young lady working for us who had no idea what he was talking about.
"My son found her in floods of tears and all the doors locked in the house because of his actions. As far as Mr Turner is concerned, he has no right to a view. It's on our property He thinks he is entitled to a view, but he is not.
"To be honest, I don't particularly want to see these people in their gardens, barbecuing and putting their washing out. They have cut down their hedges to get a view, but it is not a good view for me. Why should I have to look at what they are doing?
"Their privacy doesn't seem to interest them, but I prefer privacy, so I put a hedge up, and that's been cut down."
Mr Bett said he had simply pointed out to Mr Turner that prospective home buyers had to be informed of any neighbourhood disputes by anyone selling a property. He denied that his letter was a threat, and insisted that he was just "stating a fact".
He added: "There is nothing much to say. He wants a view over my property, but I don't want to look over his property. He has cut down his hedge which he is quite entitled to do. I wouldn't try and stop him.
"But to say, I am spoiling his view is totally wrong. I am protecting my view. It is my property. Why shouldn't I?
"He has hedges down the side of his property next to his neighbours. Why does he do that? We have got a roadway coming down to our house and we really don't want to look at what other people are doing in their gardens."
A Norfolk Police spokesperson said: "Police were called to reports of criminal damage to trees overnight on Saturday July 2. The incident happened at a property off Hall Lane, Thornham.
"Following an investigation, all lines of enquiry have been exhausted pending any further information. The victim has been informed and crime prevention advice given.
"Norfolk Police were contacted on Tuesday 12 July regarding an incident in Thornham involving a number of stacked hay bales. Enquiries established that no criminal offence had been committed."
