A former Poole council employee and Neighbourhood Watch treasurer has been issued with a restraining order following harassment claims from his neighbours, which started with a dispute over a garden gate.
Paul Phillips, 67, is not allowed to contact John and Karen Copleston, the couple that live next door to him, following arguments and harassment that escalated from his claim that they had moved an external gate onto his land in Poole, Dorset.
Mr Phillips initially presented the case to council planners, but when his neighbours confronted him he went on to harass them to the point where they installed CCTV cameras on their property.
Footage recorded from the cameras shows Mr Phillips tampering with the gate’s lock and waving at the camera.
Magistrates in Bournemouth served Mr Phillips with a three-year restraining order, banning him from contacting or approaching Mr and Mrs Copleston, who only moved their gate following police advice.
The gate was relocated to a position that was still on their land, immediately outside their back garden.
Mr Phillips installed CCTV cameras on his property, which he reportedly used to watch his neighbours on a monitor placed in his bedroom.
Mr Copleston, 53, said: “It started off with something petty and it just got bigger and bigger.
“It’s been frightening and stressful for my wife.”
Mr Phillips is now living in sheltered accommodation with his wife and said: “My wife and I are in the process of selling our home after this dispute.”