Bulwell man who harassed neighbour for four years caught by his own CCTV

A Bulwell man who harassed his neighbour over a four-year period by hurling items into her garden was caught when he let her view his CCTV footage, magistrates have heard.
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Gavin Oldham threw food, glass jars, bottles, plates, candles, ceramic pots and rocks over the fence of his home, between October 2017 and November 2020, said prosecutor Sanjay Jerath.

On one occasion a rock smashed her patio door, but Oldham helped clear up the damage. On another occasion, his neighbour's dog cut its paw on broken glass, leaving her children upset.

"She was able to log on to his CCTV, rewind it and see that the defendant had been committing this act," said Mr Jerath.

Read the latest court cases from Nottingham Magistrates Court.Read the latest court cases from Nottingham Magistrates Court.
Read the latest court cases from Nottingham Magistrates Court.

Oldham also wasted police time by making a false report about issues in his neighbourhood, but when officers asked to see the footage, he told them it had been erased.

He has four previous convictions for seven offences and was last in court for harassment and sending false information to police, in 2017, when he received a suspended sentence.

Sarah Roberts, mitigating, said: "I don't think any great effort was made in any investigation. They are aware of Mr Oldham and the area.”

She said there was no violence or any threats, and although it happened over a long period of time, there were "significant gaps" between offences.

Oldham has been diagnosed with “borderline intellectual functioning” and doesn’t have the “proper capacity for consequential thinking,” the court heard.

“He and his neighbour were having ongoing issues with a child in the neighbourhood and residents were asked to log anti-social behaviour,” Ms Roberts said.

Oldham viewed his neighbour as a friend but was trying to get another neighbour into trouble.

The court heard he has been bullied by others in the neighbourhood, which involved “physical attacks and paint thrown at his house.”

“He still struggles with issues of bullying,” Ms Roberts said. “He is in the process of moving into supported living. He has been asking for a very long time to leave the address.”

Oldham, 37, of Donbas Close, admitted harassment without violence and wasting police time, when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates Court on June 1.

He was fined £110, with £100 compensation and £85 costs. A 12 month community order, with 15 rehabilitation days was imposed.

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