A NIGHTMARE neighbour has been jailed after he breached an Anti Social Behaviour Injunction by shouting and swearing at people living close to him.
Darren Lee broke his ASBI, which banned him from using threatening language or being a nuisance to his neighbours in Coronation Avenue, Atherton, just five hours after it was imposed.
He was jailed but when he was released, Wigan and Leigh Housing (WALH), who brought the case against Lee, received more complaints from neighbours. Lee has now been sent to prison for eight months.
Wigan Council's cabinet member for housing Cllr Chris Ready said: “It is clear that this person blatantly ignored the conditions of his injunction time and time again.
“As such it appears he treated the whole process with contempt and as a result he’s paid a hefty price. More significantly, Lee chose to treat his neighbours with a level of disrespect, discourtesy and downright abuse that was clearly unacceptable.
“No one should have to tolerate such behaviour and by taking strong and decisive action we have proved that we won't tolerate it.”
Officers from WALH first received complaints about Lee’s behaviour in February 2012.
Neighbours said he was shouting and swearing throughout the night and into the early morning.
Officers from WALH's Neighbourhood Anti Social Behaviour Unit spoke with Lee three times — but each time he denied doing anything wrong. The housing organisation applied to Wigan and Leigh County Court for an interim Anti Social Behaviour Injunction against Lee last November after further complaints from his neighbours and repeated allegations of serious anti-social behaviour.
In total Lee has breached the conditions of the injunction on nine separate occasions.
Lee initially denied the allegations but at the beginning of a hearing before District Judge Gordon he admitted the breaches.
In his defence, Lee told the court he had been homeless for 25 years and was finding it difficult to adapt to a normal life.
Judge Gordon found Lee had breached the injunction and as such was in contempt of court.
As well being jailed for eight months, the judge granted possession of his former home back to the local authority.
Neil Turner, chairman of the board at Wigan and Leigh Housing said: “The message is simple and clear, change your behaviour or lose your home.”
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