A man waged a sustained campaign of harassment against his neighbours, a police officer, and a solicitor. The campaign included threatening to kill his own solicitor and witness intimidation.
Robert Hawk, 53, shouted abuse at his neighbour, as well as throwing rubbish into the neighbour's garden and he even dropped faeces-covered newspaper onto their property near Heanor. He also targeted the neighbour's children threatening that they were "going to jail" and describing them with highly offensive words, reports Derbyshire Live.
Read More: Bird flu outbreak confirmed near Ilkeston
Prosecuting counsel Barnaby Shaw told a hearing that Hawk's neighbour first reported him in July 2019 after he left "chicken bones outside her front door, newspaper covered with faeces in the rear garden, continually sounded his horn outside and shouted in the street directed towards her and her family. Hawk was interviewed by police and was cautioned in August 2019.
However, only days later Hawk continued his anti-social behaviour, including throwing items of rubbish into her garden and throwing soil onto her car. Hawk also told her he was going to the police about her "and that her sons were going to be sent to prison", and then delivered a letter stating that he was taking her to court.
Derby Crown Court, sitting in Nottingham, heard Hawk claimed his neighbour had given his phone number to criminals and demanded £25,000 in compensation and demanding her son's addresses and adding that if she didn't pay him the money he would demand £250,000 from her.
As a result, the neighbour refused to use her own garden for two years and feeling like she was "living in a prison", Mr Shaw continued. She even discouraged her family and friends from visiting her, leaving her isolated.
When Hawk was arrested in 2019, police seized a number of electronic items from him, and since that time Hawk continued to make contact with officers demanding the return of his items. The court heard how these messages became more violent with Mr Shaw describing one such message where Hawk said he would "get the British people to lynch him [the investigating officer] to death".
When Hawk was assigned a solicitor, in August 2019, he began bombarding him with messages that started out as simply arranging meetings but became much more threatening. In a final message in November 2019, Hawk said: "I will harm you and kill you". Mr Shaw added.
Hawk, of Claramount Road, Marlpool, previously pleaded guilty to charges of harassment, witness intimidation, and threats to kill his solicitor.
Catherine Walker, mitigating, said Hawk had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and she put his shouting, while at the property on Claramount Road, down to bad energy. She added that Hawk "believed that his energy was being interfered with by his neighbours and he would shout to try and rid his house of that energy".
Ms Walker added that Hawk had put his house on the market but it remained unsold.
Ms Walker continued to say that Hawk wished to put the matter behind him and had no intention at all of contacting his neighbour or her family again and that he'd learnt his lesson during the eight months and three weeks that he'd been in prison on remand.
Sentencing Hawk, Recorder Michael Auty QC, handed down a two-year prison term, suspended for two years. He also ordered the 53-year-old, who originally comes from the Czech Republic, to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity.
Hawk is also subject to a five-year restraining order broken down into two parts. Recorder Auty QC explained that he mustn't contact the neighbour or their family for a period of five years, nor the police officer or solicitor. Hawk must also not comment about them on social media.
Recorder Auty QC added that Hawk would be subject to a restraining order of six months banning him from going back to his house on Claramount Road unannounced on his own. He must be accompanied by an estate agent or other responsible people and inform the police of his intention to visit the property a minimum of 48 hours in advance. Failure to comply with that order would result in a prison term of at least five years for each breach of the order.
To read all the biggest and best stories first sign up to read our newsletters here.
