A 'neighbour from hell' left one of his female colleagues scared to leave her house after he uploaded a video of himself to YouTube filming her home and wrongfully accusing her of being a drug dealer. Anthony Daly, 39 of Birch Avenue also put his fellow neighbours through months of terror after he previously threatened to rape one of his neighbours with a nail gun, Grimsby Live reports.
Between May 31 and June 10 last year, the 'stalker' launched a tirade of abuse against a woman he previously worked with at a Grimsby factory in a series of disturbing videos uploaded to his YouTube channel which he named Midnight Foot Soldier. In the shocking clips, Daly accused the victim of being a cocaine supplier and refers to her as a 'scruffy b***h' while filming her home and vehicle and informing viewers of her address.
The victim who was on holiday when the incident happened was left so terrified by the video that she and her partner cut their trip short and returned home where their young grandkids were staying at the time, Grimsby Crown Court heard. The defendant who's been described as a 'difficult person to live next door to' also stopped his car in front of the victim's home during the same period and was seen to be watching her property.
In a Victim Personal Statement read out to the court, the complainant wrote: "I have no idea why he has targeted me. It has put me and my partner living in fear. I daren't go out in case anyone has seen the videos.
"I am scared someone will break in and steal the money he claims to be inside my house." The court heard that Daly who was known for being a nightmare neighbour would shout abuse in the street and through walls on an 'almost daily basis' with a neighbour having over 100 recordings of him doing so.
Prosecuting, Michael Masson said: "He made himself a difficult person to live next door to. The relationship between [one victim] and Mr Daly had deteriorated over a neighbour dispute which led to an argument, and on February 19, 2021, they had a further disagreement due to a lock being placed on a gate."
Speaking of another neighbour who was harassed by Daly, Mr Masson continued: "The bad feeling between her and Mr Daly arose over the subject of a bird feeder. She notified him about rats in the area and Mr Daly said the bird feeder might be attracting the rats.
"He shouted abuse through the walls at her at all hours of the day and night. There was derogatory singing at her expense."
Mitigating, Craig Lowe said: "There was not any violence at all. It was shouting, it was singing, it was banging on the wall, it was noise. It was unpleasant and difficult for people to cope with, but there was no violence carried out by this defendant.
"The footage is mostly rambling. It is very unpleasant but again, there was no violence at all." Daly was charged with three counts of harassment against three victims who lived at the neighbouring properties to his former address on Birch Avenue, Grimsby.
The 39-year-old was also charged with the public order offence of threatening behaviour after he videoed himself shouting verbal abuse at staff inside a local fish and chip shop. Sentencing Daly, Recorder Peter Makepeace KC said: "The real horror of the offence of stalking is the nature of the offences he was alleging placed the victim in danger.
"I have no doubt that sick people watching YouTube would take even these ranting messages seriously. The victim and her family were placed in real danger because her address was on it.
"All three victims have had their lives made sheer hell. You are the personification of a neighbour from hell. It is difficult for anyone to want to live next to you.
"Your abuse of your neighbours was daily and relentless. You would stand outside their properties shouting abuse, make allegations and threats, threatening to rape [one neighbour] with a nail gun and glass her.
"She has been so fearful and she daren't go out into her own garden. If this had happened once it would be unpleasant but to go on and on for months and months must have ruined lives."
Daly was handed lifelong restraining orders against the victims of his crimes. He was subsequently jailed for 39 months and must serve before being released on licence.
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